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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28538790">Inmortuae</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightNinja27/pseuds/MidnightNinja27'>MidnightNinja27</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Animal Abuse, Animal Death, Arson, Astre Phantomhive is Lady Sirius, Asylum, Asylums, Aurora Society - Freeform, Bizarre Dolls, Blood, Blood Collection, Blood Drinking, Blood Sharing, Blue Cult, Brother/Brother Incest, Ciel Phantomhive is Lord Sirius, Crossdressing, Cult Indoctrination, Cults, Dark Ciel Phantomhive, Elizabeth Midford is Lady Canopus, F/F, F/M, God Complex, Harm to Animals, Heathfield Manor, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Incest, Karnstein Hospital, Kelvin is Lord Polaris, Luxury Liner | Campania Arc (Kuroshitsuji), M/M, Matricide, Midfords are Watchdogs, Patricide, Period-Typical Homophobia, Polaris is Kelvin, Possessive Real Ciel Phantomhive, Real Ciel Phantomhive is Lord Sirius, Real Ciel is a Sociopath, Sibling Incest, Sieglinde Sullivan is Lord Canopus, Sieglinde died years ago, Song: It’s Tough to be a God (Dreamworks), Sphere Music Hall, The major character death is the twins but they get better, Weston College, Yandere Real Ciel Phantomhive, indoctrination</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:34:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>24,055</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28538790</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightNinja27/pseuds/MidnightNinja27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: Sebastian was never summoned and O! Ciel was killed after his brother.</p><p>Death is not a lover. Oh, yes he is.</p><p>No demon arrived to grant the wish of Astre Phantomhive after his brother’s murder at the hands of the cult. As a result, he quickly joined his beloved older brother, Ciel, in death. Though, their trip into the afterlife didn’t last long due to Undertaker’s meddling. Join the twins as they navigate being undead Bizarre Dolls and each other.</p><p>Warning: This story began with chapter 171 of the Manga being the most recent. Any reveals after that will not be in this story.</p><p>Title is Latin for "Undead".</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexis Leon Midford/Francis Midford, Angelina Dalles | Madame Red/Grell Sutcliff, Baron Burnett/Angelina Dalles | Madame Red, Ciel Phantomhive/Real Ciel Phantomhive, Claudia Phantomhive/Cedric K. Ros, Claudia Phantomhive/Undertaker, Elizabeth Midford/Real Ciel Phantomhive, Elizabeth Midford/Sieglinde Sullivan, Irene Diaz/Grimsby Keane, Layla (Kuroshitsuji)/Doll (Kuroshitsuji), Rachel Phantomhive/Vincent Phantomhive</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>153</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Horror</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Identical hands grasped at each other's as the elder twin was pulled out of the cage by the monstrous cultist.</p><p>Their bodies, weak from their month in a living Hell, couldn't hold on to each other.</p><p>Ciel was dragged away and tossed onto the marble alter like a slab of meat.</p><p>"Ciel!" Astre screamed out, desperately trying to get to his brother from behind the cage's bars</p><p>"Let me go!" The older blunette screamed, trying to get out from the cultists arms</p><p>"Now, let us offer our prayers to the Devil!" The head cultist told the crowd as Ciel was restrained, "Come forth ye who don the flames of Hell, ruler of the night, sworn ally of darkness, the nefarious beast that sups on spilled blood."</p><p>"Help m-" Ciel cried out, one of cultist's clamping a hand over his mouth</p><p>His cries were ignored as the head cultist continued his 'prayer', "Beneath the protection of the moon with its thousand faces enter into a covenant with me!"</p><p>Astre Phantomhive was frozen in shock as he watched the cultists stab his big brother —his perfect and strong big brother— in his tummy.</p><p>With one final tearful shout of pain, Ciel Phantomhive was dead.</p><p>The younger twin's eyes —one of which blinded by a kidnapper's careless treatment— filled and spilled over in tears: he was just as helpless as he had always been and could do nothing to save his sibling.</p><p>No shadows filled the room, no voice questioned the cultists, no demon arrived to make a deal.</p><p>This poor boy, now an only child, was so lost in his grief and shock that he barely processed the cultists throwing his brother's corpse carelessly to the ground like a bag of flour and walk towards his cage.</p><p>His tear-filled sapphire eyes were wide open, not even blinking, as the masked men opened the little cage once more and pulled him out just as they had Ciel.</p><p>Astre was limp in the horrible man's rough hands, like a kitten held by the scruff, as he was placed on the bloody alter.</p><p>The last Phantomhive, a mere ten year old boy, stared at his brother's forgotten corpse as the head cultist held the bloody dagger above his stomach just as he had less than a minute ago.</p><p>The blood on the dagger —his brother's blood— dripped onto his bare stomach as if it were marking the blade's target.</p><p>But the blunette didn't notice, he didn't become re-aware of the world around him until the sharp ceremonial dagger was impaling his stomach.</p><p>The sickly boy tried to scream, but by then it was too late.</p><p>And then the Phantomhive line was gone.</p><p>***</p><p>Less than an hour later, behind the abandoned church used by the cultists, the corpses of the sacrificial lambs laid unceremoniously in an overgrown flower bed filled with red poppies.</p><p>From afar, the bodies of the two children looked as if they had fallen asleep playing in the flowerbed, but as the white haired man walked closer the horrific sight unfurled itself.</p><p>Both boys had giant stab wounds on their stomachs, leaving a hole big enough that the other side could be seen.</p><p>Blood was dried around their mouths, showing that it once had dribbled out of it.</p><p>Undertaker swallowed the bile threatening to rise up his throat: he needed to remain calm or he couldn't help.</p><p>Gathering the two cooling corpses in his arms, he gently placed them side-by-side in his hearse-carriage and began to return to his shop.</p><p>As the grey horse pulled the wagon away, beginning the two hour trip back to London, the mortician finally allowed himself to weep.</p><p>***</p><p>Two hours later, as the sun began to rise to greet a cold January morning, Undertaker parked his carriage in the alley behind his shop and went inside.</p><p>Since he had entered through the back door of his shop, he didn't have to maneuver around the display coffins as he was already in the work room.</p><p>As a mortician, he always had a few coffins available of various sizes, so he selected two of the appropriate size and laid them on a large table side-by-side.</p><p>Removing the lids, he placed them aside and grabbed the biggest jars of formaldehyde he had, pouring an equal amount in each coffin.</p><p>With that done, the reaper then returned to the alley.</p><p>Opening the hearse's doors, the man took the dead boys back into his arms and carried them inside.</p><p>After stripping them of their soiled and bloody clothes, the heavily stitched man placed each boy in a cherry wood coffin.</p><p>Ciel and Astre's corpses were half covered with the chemical to prevent further decomposition.</p><p>Getting out his surgical tools, he started with Ciel.</p><p>***</p><p>Days passed, sunrise bled into sunset and all over again, people walking by the shop wondered why the sign on the front door hadn't flipped to 'open' in days but most didn't question it.</p><p>No one knew of the cocktail of science and magic occurring in the building, no one but the one performing it who, at last, sighed with relief as he sat down on a creaky old chair.</p><p>Undertaker was a disheveled mess: his hands and forearms were caked in blood and chemicals of various dryness, his long white hair was tied up into a poofy messy bun, his white dress shirt —which he usually kept hidden under his normal black robe— was drenched in blood and chemicals as well.</p><p>But it was well worth it as he watched the chests of the twin Phantomhives gently rise and fall.</p><p>The retired reaper had no idea how long they would sleep or if they'd ever wake up again but that was tomorrow's problem, today he had successfully brought them mostly back to life.</p><p>He spent the following few minutes watching them just breathe with the help of their oxygen tanks, watching as their lungs expanded and deflated under their stitched skin.</p><p>Placing the coffin lids back over them, Undertaker walked up the stairs and into his flat.</p><p>He took several showers, the first of which fully clothed and then with each of the following ones lost an article of clothing until finally nude.</p><p>Exhausted from days of performing surgeries as well as working the manual pump to his shower, the white haired man barely got dressed and plopped into bed, taking a well deserved rest...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Reborn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Ciel Phantomhive, the heir of the Phantomhive Earldom, woke up with a scream, moving his arms to instinctively defend himself against the dagger the head cultist was aiming at his stomach.</p><p>When no blow occurred, the ten year old boy looked around, realizing he was now nude and wet.</p><p>He tried to sit up but the oxygen mask covering his mouth and the lid of the box were holding him in place.</p><p>Terrified, the blunette continued to scream.</p><p>He saw the lid open and a hand approaching his face but he began to hit at it, scared to be hurt again.</p><p>"Calm down, little lord." A voice soothed</p><p>Ciel blinked, looking at the man standing over him, he recognized the white haired man as one of father's friends.</p><p>The blunette calmed down as Undertaker removed the oxygen mask from his face and helped him sit up.</p><p>That's when the young boy noticed the tubes going into his wrists, seeing they connected to a bunch of vials labeled 'Sirius'.</p><p>"What's going on?" Ciel asked, pulling at the tubes</p><p>Undertaker took his hands, talking them away from the tubes, "You were killed, the tubes are supplying you with blood that is keeping you alive."</p><p>"How can I be alive if I am dead?" Ciel questioned, his eyes widen in shock as he noticed the stitches up wound on his stomach</p><p>"Technically, your body is dead and it is just my workings keeping it functioning. But, your soul had bit yet been collected when I found you, so you are technically also simultaneously alive." Undertaker explained</p><p>Ciel just nodded, taking all the information in, "Where is Astre? Where is my little brother? Is he okay?"</p><p>Undertaker walked to the other table, lifting the lid of the coffin to reveal an identical set up to the one in Ciel's coffin.</p><p>Laying in the pool of chemical, was Astre Phantomhive, still asleep and gently breathing.</p><p>"Astre?" Ciel called out</p><p>He got no response from his sleeping brother.</p><p>"He is still recovering." Undertaker explained, "He will wake up when he is ready."</p><p>***</p><p>During the days that followed, Ciel spent the day outside of his coffin, sitting in a wheelchair that carried his oxygen tank and blood vials on its back.</p><p>With his wheelchair he was able to roll around the shop during the day —and the back room while Undertaker had customers— before Undertaker put him back in his coffin at night.</p><p>Every day, Ciel would sit beside his brother's coffin and wait for him to wake up, softly talking to him about his day and his hopes for the future or just sitting silently.</p><p>He was even relearning how to walk, able to walk about ten steps at a time before collapsing.</p><p>***</p><p>By the time the end of the second week had arrived, Astre woke up.</p><p>Just like Ciel, the younger twin began screaming and thrashing around when he woke.</p><p>The lid of his coffin was removed and Undertaker was there to calm him down.</p><p>The first coherent words out of Astre's mouth were, "Where is Ciel? Ciel!"</p><p>Undertaker walked a few steps and opened a coffin lid, Ciel sitting up.</p><p>"I'm here, starshine." Ciel said to him</p><p>"W-What happened, skylight?" Astre asked</p><p>Ciel gave him the same explanation Undertaker had given him, telling him that they had died but Undertaker had mostly fixed them.</p><p>"Why are you helping us?" Astre asked Undertaker</p><p>The older twin stayed quiet, that was something he had been wondering these past few weeks as well.</p><p>Undertaker opened a nearby urn and pulled out a dog biscuit, putting in between his lips but not quite biting it rather holding it as one would a cigar, "My name is Adrian Crevan, I am your grandfather."</p><p>"What?" Both twins exclaimed</p><p>"Our grandfather on which side?" Astre questioned</p><p>"You are not Cedric Rosenfield or Baron James Dalles." Ciel added, remembering their family tree said their parent’s parents had all passed away</p><p>The reaper visibly twitched at Cedric's name, taking a deep breath he clarified, "Cedric was your grandmother's husband but he did not father your father nor your aunt, I did."</p><p>Undertaker then shrugged, “But let us not go dig into the past for now, you both are too young for the full story. Just know that I am your true grandfather and I love you both and want nothing more than to see you both alive again.”</p><p>He then turned back to Astre, “How are you feeling?”</p><p>“Weird.” Astre softly replied, running his hands over the stitches on his tummy, “But fine.”</p><p>“You will likely feel very weak for a few weeks, you brother had been awake for fourteen days now and is still struggling to regain leg mobility.” Undertaker explained, “You both should get some rest, we can talk more in the morning.”</p><p>***</p><p>An hour before the sun rose, the twins woke up and were let out of their coffins.</p><p>Undertaker patiently dried them off from the chemical and dressed them in simple white dress shirts and black shorts before placing them on their wheelchairs with their medical supplies.</p><p>After that, he went back upstairs to his loft and made breakfast for the three of them.</p><p>Because of his occupation as a mortician, he did not have a lot of money but made enough to get by.</p><p>Because of that, he was unable to provide the luxurious foods the twins were undoubtedly used to due to their noble upbringing.</p><p>But after a month of being force-fed sludge through a funnel —or being given moldy bread to eat on the good days— the simple breakfast he gave was like manna to them.</p><p>The scotch eggs and crumpets were devoured almost instantly, the twins used to eating as quickly as possible lest the food be taken from them.</p><p>Undertaker sighed as he watched the twins scarf down their breakfast, it seemed he had a lot more work to do...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Obsession</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning: Semi-Graphic Animal Torture snd Death, skip second scene break and start back up at third.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Ciel Phantomhive had always been called an odd boy.</p><p>He had constantly heard the servants whisper that when they thought he was not around.</p><p>Even mother and father had quietly discussed their heir's strangeness behind closed doors.</p><p>They always said there was something off in his head ever since the accident when he and Astre were four years old.</p><p>The twins had always played together every single day, but on that particular day they had been playing tag, chasing each other through the halls of the manor.</p><p>Unfortunately, Astre, whilst trying to escape Ciel, had not seen the stairs approaching until he was tumbling down them.</p><p>Ciel, too focused on trying to catch Astre, also fell down right after him.</p><p>No adult would have known of their tumble down the stairs if it had not been for Astre's tearful cries of pain.</p><p>But Ciel, bleeding from his nose and all bruised up, did not make a sound or tear up at all.</p><p>That had just been the beginning of a spiral of fear the young heir would cause.</p><p>***</p><p>Even as a young child from ages four all the way to that final day home on his tenth birthday, Ciel loved being men’s to the servants and purposefully making their jobs harder.</p><p>Whether it be tripping a maid carrying the expensive porcelain towards the table or pushing the gardener into a rose bush, it made him so happy to see them hurt.</p><p>If the blunette had it his way, he would be free to hurt anyone he wished, even mother and father.</p><p>Of course, mother and father and all the other nobles held more power than him, so hurting them would have consequences he did not want.</p><p>There was only one person he never ever wanted to hurt: his little brother, Astre.</p><p>As long as Ciel could remember he had always loved Astre, he loved his little brother so so so so so much!</p><p>Astre was the only person he loved.</p><p>Sure he had told mother and father he loved them when they said that to him or when Astre told them that, but he never meant it, he did not feel anything for them.</p><p>***</p><p>One day, around the time they were seven years old, Ciel learned that his least favorite servant —a maid who forgot to put his and Astre’s playroom exactly the way it was before she cleaned it— had a pet cat, he got excited.</p><p>During the day when he knew she would be busy working snd with Astre bedridden with sickness, Ciel went down to the servant’s quarters and got the dog.</p><p>The stupid mutt was easily tricked into following him to the gardener’s shack.</p><p>Ciel then picked up some pruning shears and cut the dog’s stomach.</p><p>The creature yelped out in pain and tried to run from him.</p><p>So, he made the cut bigger.</p><p>This time, the dog tried to bite him so he smacked it in the face with a shovel.</p><p>With it unconscious, Ciel continued to cut it open, scooping out the guts and organ and playing with them.</p><p>He had so much fun watching all the organs pump and move until the dog died.</p><p>Until his entertainment was ended by the sound of someone throwing up behind him.</p><p>Turning around, the young heir saw one of the gardeners vomiting up at the sight of his playing.</p><p>Still holding the dog’s heart, Ciel looked at the servant in disinterest, “Hello.”</p><p>***</p><p>In the aftermath, servants quickly brought out mother and father and father asked in horror what he was doing.</p><p>Ciel smiled, holding up his blood covered hands, “Since Astre is sick I had to play by myself so I started playing doctor! Aunt Ann made it sound so fun being a doctor and she was right!”</p><p>His parents then took him back inside and cleaned him up, telling him while they bathed him that he should never ever EVER play doctor again and tell him he should be nice to animals like their pet, Sebastian.</p><p>After that, none of the servants ever really wanted to be alone with what they whispered was a devilish child perhaps even the antichrist.</p><p>Even mother and father grew a little distant from their heir, scared of him as well.</p><p>But that was fine with Ciel, all that mattered was that he had Astre forever.</p><p>So, when he learned Astre would be moving away to London to be a toy maker when they grew up, his world shattered.</p><p>How could Astre ever be away from him?</p><p>Nothing made sense without Astre, he did not feel anything without him!</p><p>Even after mother told him about his destiny to be Earl and even let him try on father’s inheritance ring, he still was mad.</p><p>Having Astre near him at all times was more important than being Earl, how could these stupid people not see it?!</p><p>***</p><p>Even during their month in a living Hell, Ciel felt nothing.</p><p>Sure it was unfortunate the situation they were in and he hated the feeling of powerlessness, the main part of his mind was is ecstatic to be close to Astre.</p><p>The rational part of him knew they were unlikely to make it out alive, but dying with Astre did not sound so bad.</p><p>He purposefully neglected to share his thoughts with Astre, of course, he did not want to make his precious little brother more scared than he already was.</p><p>After all, he might ruin Astre’s mind with that and he did not want that, he wanted Astre to remain sweet and his until the end.</p><p>***</p><p>When he woke up in Undertaker’s shop, Ciel was surprised to be alive.</p><p>Well, alive was an overstatement, undead was more accurate.</p><p>Even at the tender age of ten, Ciel knew that he should be scared and in shock about being returned to life but he was not.</p><p>All that mattered to him was his brother’s whereabouts.</p><p>He was relieved to know he was still with him.</p><p>They had died together just as Ciel had wanted, now they would lived again together.</p><p>But this time, they would be able to carve out the path they —or more accurately he— wanted.</p><p>Astre would never be taken from him again, Ciel would insure it...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Fortune</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Months passed and the twins slowly recovered, no longer wheelchair bound and constantly needing to be hooked up to blood bags and oxygen tanks.</p><p>Now, they only needed fresh blood weekly and only used the oxygen tanks whilst they slept to make sure their bodies remained breathing.</p><p>By the time they reached the six months point, Undertaker decided they were well enough to stop sleeping in the formaldehyde filled coffins and move upstairs into the apartment with him.</p><p>The spare bedroom in the apartment needed a lot of work, but it did have a full sized bed instead of two twin-sized ones.</p><p>The twins certainly did not mind, being so wheel chair bound had they had been they could barely even interact with each other so all and may closeness they could have was desired.</p><p>Their bedroom was sparse, but they found ways to occupy themselves while Undertaker worked.</p><p>Ciel often found himself reading through Undertaker's medical tomes and Astre found himself sketching frequently.</p><p>Of course, they still often played together using the few games Undertaker had gotten for them.</p><p>They were not ready to call to him 'grandfather' yet, so Undertaker is still what they used.</p><p>***</p><p>One summer day, the twins were sitting in their bedroom and playing chess together when the door opened.</p><p>Both twins turned towards said door, expecting the reaper to be the one entering.</p><p>And he was, but this time he was not alone, this time he was accompanied by a man with lavender hair that was spiky with a long braid down the front.</p><p>The guest had light blue eyes, a sun and crescent moon tattoos on his hands with random constellation tattoos running up his arms.</p><p>He wore a plain white button up snd black slacks like nearly every other man in the entire country.</p><p>"Who is this?" Ciel asked</p><p>"My name is Blavat Sky." The man introduced himself, "I am a fortune teller by trade, I am rather popular currently so perhaps you have heard of me?"</p><p>When the twins denied ever hearing of him he shrugged, "Guess not that popular, but anyways, Undertaker and I have been working on a bit of a pet project and we would like to get you both involved."</p><p>“What project?” Astre asked, curious</p><p>Blavat smiled, “As I am sure Undertaker had told you, there are four blood types: Veg-“</p><p>“Vega, Polaris, Canopus and Sirius.” Ciel interrupted, “We know, he reminds us constantly.”</p><p>The lavender haired man’s smile twitched but he remained smiling nevertheless, “Yes, the blood types were named after stars to begin our project. We wish to find a cure to the worst disease of all: death. You both have experienced the cure and while it is a functional cure it is not enough. You two were the exception, not the rule, to this cure. Because your souls were yet to vacate the body when he cured you, your minds did not leave with it. Most of the people we have cured are little more than mindless meat-sacks without their souls.”</p><p>“Like Frankenstein?” Astre questioned, familiar with the popular book</p><p>“Exactly. Imagine a stick, one end is life and the other is death. The other cured are a quarter of the way from death, still half way from the middle, only alive enough to get them walking —not even talking.” Blavat explained, “And in the middle yet leaning towards life, is you two, unfortunately still dead but alive enough that you can talk and think and move on your own.”</p><p>Blavat continued, “But even with how successful you both have been it is not enough, we want to bring you fully back to life as if you had never died at all. But yet that is not fully accurate as we wish to also solve the next biggest disease: aging. If everything goes to plan you both will live and be young forever.”</p><p>“And what would we need to do?” Astre asked, intrigued</p><p>“Nothing much, just be a figurehead.” Blavat explained, “The main reason I came here today was to deliver some blood I had collection for Undertaker to give to you both. He had completely run out of Sirius blood and I only had enough to keep you both alive for two months. So, we need to find a way to get your blood.”</p><p>“You do not have any now? And you have waited this long!” Ciel asked, getting mad</p><p>Astre put a hand on his shoulder, calming him, “Give him a chance to talk, Ciel.”</p><p>The older twin pouted but quieted.</p><p>“We do have an idea to get us started off. Many of my clients have asked me if my magical arts can cure their ailments and troubles, some of which I was able to, but if I present them with the prospect of eternal youth and life, they would gladly provide the funds we need to gather your blood supply.” Blavat informed, “The funds could then be used to open up an establishment to bring ‘donors’ in snd discreetly exact their blood.”</p><p>“That is a really good idea, perhaps it could front as a music hall as those are getting rather trendy.” Astre added, “I have an idea as well.”</p><p>“Go on.” Ciel prompted</p><p>“I imagine all the Phantomhive money has gone to our next to kin so we cannot rely on that. And well, it has always been a dream of mine to open a toy company, that could provide more money for us in case your clients do not get enticed enough or not provide enough.” Astre explained, opening his sketchbook, “I already have a few product concepts.”</p><p>He showed his sketchbook that had a drawing off a stuffed rabbit wearing the clothes of a nobleman, the sketch had all the details of fabrics and measurements and even prices.</p><p>“I love it! That is a perfect idea, starshine!” Ciel praised, hugging his twin</p><p>***</p><p>Both plans were put into action, the company of Funtom was created, making confections and a stuffed mascot called Bitter Rabbit.</p><p>“Why ‘Bitter’?” Ciel had asked when Astre showed him the finished design</p><p>“Because it is bitter over being dead.” Astre replied, “But no one knows that except us.”</p><p>Ciel laughed, it was their little secret...</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A Day in London</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Astre hummed a bit as he looked at himself in the mirror.</p><p>He was excited, today would be his and Ciel's very first time in public since before they died.</p><p>The blunette then looked at his face, looking at the hole where his right eye used to be.</p><p>During their month in captivity, when they had been taken from the manor, one of the kidnappers had dropped him and he had smacked his eye, causing it to go blind.</p><p>These last few months Undertaker had been trying his best to repair it but unlike the rest of his body it had not been spared.</p><p>Yesterday the reaper had decided the the rotting eye might encourage the rest of his body to start decomposing again so he had removed it and ordered a glass replacement.</p><p>The glass eye would not arrive for a few weeks so for now he wore a plain white medical eyepatch to cover his wound.</p><p>Because their clothes were lost to the fire of the manor, Undertaker had Blavat procure some clothes for the twins.</p><p>None of them had much money yet —Funtom's profits were still busy paying for the cost of opening— the four tube teller had gotten them shoes, cotton stockings, and brown vests.</p><p>They wore the same white button-ups and black shorts Undertaker had given them months ago but now they were presentable.</p><p>***</p><p>Ciel held Astre's hand as they left Undertaker's shop with Blavat.</p><p>Looking to his twin, the older blunette was glad to see him so happy.</p><p>Undertaker would not be joining them today, his job demanded his presence at a funeral.</p><p>The twins watched as Blavat paid for a hansom cab to take them to the Funtom Shoppe.</p><p>The ride lasted around fifteen minutes and soon they were in the shopping district of London.</p><p>Astre's eye widened at the sight of the massive line outside of the shop, mostly children dragging their mothers inside.</p><p>He had known his business was created and had seen the prototype products himself, but seeing the shop in real life was different.</p><p>Ciel turned to his brother, seeing him tearing up.</p><p>"What's wrong, starshine?" He asked, concerned</p><p>Astre wiped his eye with his palm, "Nothing, skylight, I am just so happy to see my dream a reality."</p><p>Ciel gave his twin a comforting hug and they walked into the bustling shop together.</p><p>Instantly, Astre's eyes scanned around the room, seeing a little sign that read "Sold Out" where all the Bitter Rabbits should be.</p><p>Several of the candies had the same signs, it seems they needed a new shipment from the factory in India as well as more products.</p><p>Pulling out his potable sketchbook, Astre wrote down his ideas and left the shop with his brother and Blavat.</p><p>***</p><p>"I will confess, the reason for this excursion was not simply to check up on your company." Blavat said as they walked away from the crowd</p><p>"Then why are we out here?" Astre asked</p><p>Blavat checked his watch, "A guest of ours will be arriving from Germany in around twenty minutes on the next train."</p><p>Ciel's eyebrow rose, "Who?"</p><p>"She comes from very similar circumstances as you both." Blavat began, "She was a Liege Lord of a forest in Germany but the people of her village betrayed and killed her after they found out she was helping Undertaker and I. Her name is Sieglinde Sullivan, she is twelve years old —but she died two years ago so she looks ten."</p><p>"So she is like us?" Astre questioned, placing a hand in his forehead to indicate where his stitches were hidden under his bangs</p><p>"Indeed." Blavat confirmed</p><p>***</p><p>The three of them sat in the train station for little over half an hour but eventually a girl and a man walked up to them.</p><p>The girl was a bit taller than them —then again everyone was— and she wore a emerald green dress with black and gold detailing.</p><p>She had long black hair styled into twin horns held in place by ribbons the same color as her dress.</p><p>Her eyes were emerald green as well and shone with intelligence and mischief.</p><p>Behind her was a man with spikey blonde hair and hazel eyes wearing a greenish-black military coat that had a white jabot along with grey slacks.</p><p>"It is very nice to see you again, Lady Sullivan." Blavat greeted</p><p>"As it is to see you, Blavat." Sieglinde replied, her German accent thick, "Where is Undertaker?"</p><p>"Occupied at a funeral, unfortunately." The lavender haired man replied, "Might I introduce you to our newest true successes?"</p><p>He then turned back to the twins, "Meet Ciel and Astre Phantomhive. Ciel and Astre, meet Sieglinde Sullivan and her butler, Wolfram Geltzer."</p><p>After all the pleasantries were out of the way, Blavat hired another hansom cab to take the five of them to the theater district of London to an unoccupied building.</p><p>“As I have informed you all, the current plan is to open a music hall to make our new base of operations.” Blavat explained, “I have used our current profits, as well as the money you supplied us with Lady Sullivan, to purchase this building. Once we get our patrons we can alter the building to fit our ‘needs’.”</p><p>“When will you be meeting with the prospective patrons?” Sieglinde asked as they walked inside</p><p>“In a week.” He replied as he showed them the empty building</p><p>It was large and definitely needed work, but the bones were good.</p><p>This could definitely work...</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Believer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>A week later, the twins looked at themselves as they got dressed for the patron party.</p><p>Instead of their usual white button-up, they had been given a frilly version with puffy sleeves and a high collar that they secured around their neck with a royal blue ribbon.</p><p>Their shorts were the same royal blue as the ribbon but had golden buttons and black detailing, said shirts held in place with a black belt that had a golden buckle.</p><p>Once dressed, they went downstairs to where the others were waiting.</p><p>They immediately saw Sieglinde, her usual dresses exchanged for a more plain yet still fine one, but still in her signature green color.</p><p>After all, tonight they were not themselves, today they were just the successes.</p><p>A Baron had been kind enough to host at his manor, so they —excluding Undertaker since the reaper was the behind-the-scenes partner while Blavat was the face of the operation— got in a rented carriage and left.</p><p>***</p><p>The twins waited outside the meeting room with Sieglinde.</p><p>The three of them listened to Blavat talk to the patrons about how they could stay forever youthful.</p><p>Hearing their cue to enter, the twins moved the red curtain aside.</p><p>Arm in arm with their fingers laced together, Ciel and Astre walked into the room.</p><p>Following them in was Sieglinde, following just a few steps behind them.</p><p>"Here is the proof of my promises, my lords and ladies." Blavat said as they entered the room, pulling a photograph of two elderly men out of his pocket and another showing an old woman, "Just four years ago, these three radiant stars were withered with age and disease, now time has reversed on their bodies and returned them to the ethereal beauty of youth."</p><p>Ciel, Astre and Sieglinde smiled, seeing that the others in the room had bought it.</p><p>Immediately, the nobles in the room immediately demanded to know how this feat had been accomplished.</p><p>Some asked if it was science, others accused magic, some even asked if was sorcery.</p><p>The lavender haired man smirked, "That, I am afraid is a secret, but I am willing to guide you down the path of eternal youth for a small fee of five thousand pounds a year per person."</p><p>The high price tag of the treatment made several of the nobles wince but they still desired it —after all it seemed like a small price for eternal life.</p><p>Blavat knew it, "All of you willing to pay the price to sip from the fountain of youth come to Sphere Music Hall in London on October first to begin."</p><p>Astre was doing the mental math in his head, calculating that if all fifteen of the nobles here plus spouses plus grown children took this offer they could easily be receiving between seventy-five thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand pounds per year! That was more than most made in a lifetime!</p><p>Ciel had been upset when Blavat had told them how much they would charge during the carriage ride, asking why they did not raise the prices higher.</p><p>But Astre understood: the cheaper the price meant the more customers which meant more money in the long run.</p><p>With that, he left with the three undead that had come with him and returned to Undertaker's shop.</p><p>***</p><p>By the time October 1, 1886 rolled around the construction of the music hall was completed.</p><p>The hall was floored with ivory colored tiles, the walls painted a pearlescent white and decorated with golden filigree, white marble pillars littered the halls and every window was made of stained glass depicting the stars, the night sky, constellations or the galaxy.</p><p>The ornate entrance hall led into a giant ballroom that was also a dining room, circular tables lining the room so there was plenty of room to dance in the middle.</p><p>The tables were already prepared for guests with all the silver and glasses and plates set out atop linens and napkins.</p><p>The most impressive part of the room was the ceiling which resembled the one in the Sistine Chapel, but instead of holding depictions of biblical scenes, they held scenes from the constellation mythos.</p><p>Beyond that was a hallway to the four private rooms for the special events, the doors engraved with four representations of the four stars.</p><p>Within the door with two dogs for Canis Major —which represented Sirius— was decorated in an Ancient Roman/Greek style, as if the room was in the middle of a temple.</p><p>Next, the door that had a ship for Carina —which represented Canopus— was decorated like a cathedral with high arches and pews.</p><p>The door with a musician playing a lyre for Lyra —which represents Vega— was decorated like a medieval castle, as if one had stepped backwards in time upon entering the room.</p><p>And, finally, the door with a bear for Ursa Minor —which represented Polaris— was like a pseudo-garden with all of its flowers, the nature-like scene could convince one that they had stepped outside.</p><p>Further in then even that was four bedrooms for the five Star Lords —though only two of those bedrooms would be in use as there was yet to be a Lord Polaris nor Lord Vega.</p><p>Beyond even that, was the hidden transfusion room where the blood would be stored and the patrons taken for their ‘youth treatment’.</p><p>They would let the patrons believe the hidden room was wear them true magic was happening and the rest was just a front —which they would be mostly correct to believe— but it all was a lie to keep the most precious stars alive...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>£5,000 pounds in 1886 is worth £657,046 or $901,256 today. So the projected profit of £15,000-£30,000 is worth £1,993,793-£3,987,586 or $2,722,803-$5,445,606 today. Which is a whole lot especially see the average wage per year is £100 then, £13,292/$18,151 now.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. A Flaw</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Baron Thomas Kelvin was miserable.</p><p>It had been nearly a year since his obsessions, Ciel and Astre Phantomhive, had met a glorious end at the hands of the cult.</p><p>And he had not been able to see it, had been denied to see the perfect boys in their final moment of glory.</p><p>That had caused him to sink into a deep depression until he had heard that a fortune teller/spirit healer was hosting a presentation about how to achieve eternal youth and life.</p><p>When he had gone, he had been so surprised to see his precious Phantomhives returned to full glory.</p><p>The man with them, the one doing all the talking, he paraded them and a girl about as shining brilliant stars.</p><p>The Baron agreed whole heartedly and when they asked for the fee to receive that treatment he gave that initial five thousand pounds and donated hundreds pounds more.</p><p>It did not matter what he had to do to be noticed by those beautiful roses adorned with thorns, he would sell his soul if that was what it took.</p><p>***</p><p>Blavat looked through the list of all the people who had signed up for the 'treatment', seeing easily a dozen had paid for themselves and most for a few others as well.</p><p>But what stood out for the lavender haired man was the rather large donation of three hundred pounds from a Baron Kelvin.</p><p>It was certainly a unique sight but he was not concerned by it, perhaps one sponsor was eager to begin treatment.</p><p>Getting up from the office chair and walking into the private stairwell of Sphere Music Hall, looking down the hallway towards the Star's Bedrooms.</p><p>Vega and Polaris were still unidentified —still wondering the world unaware of their radiance— Canopus was in the blood storage room preparing things for the patron event tonight with Undertaker and the twin Sirius' were preparing the actual event part of the event.</p><p>Walking into the main ballroom, the lavender haired man saw the twins ordering around the hired helped for the event.</p><p>Platters of luxurious hor d'oeurves, tea sandwiches, and finger desserts littered the room.</p><p>Bottles upon bottles of wines and liquors were around the room as well and a champagne tower was at the center of the room.</p><p>***</p><p>That night, right on the scheduled time, the doors to Sphere Music Hall opened for the first time to the private event.</p><p>Once all of the guests had entered, Blavat introduced himself —the twins, Sieglinde, Wolfram and Undertaker not attending the event— and began explaining the treatment.</p><p>"For the eternal youth and life treatment, there are four similar but slightly different ways to perform it. I will go around the room resting each individual to find out which treatment method is best for you." The fortune teller explained, "The first method is the most common and we call it 'Vega'. The next treatment is the second most common, 'Polaris'. The third treatment is 'Canopus' which is rare. The final treatment is the rarest of all: 'Sirius'."</p><p>"What are the differences between treatments?" One patron asked</p><p>The lavender haired man explained, "There is no significant difference, it's simply a change in ratios. The names are just an identification system so we know what ratio you need."</p><p>With that there was no further questions and Blavat began to test everyone, having each one prick their finger and drop a bit of blood into his cup.</p><p>After each one he gave them a pure silver charm bracelet and told them to wear it every time they came here for treatment.</p><p>Once he was done, he memorized the results to write down in a minute; out of twenty five people here: eleven were Vega, ten were Polaris, three were Canopus and the remaining one was Sirius.</p><p>Blavat was not surprised by the results as he and Undertaker had done the math on the blood type ratios, but he had hoped to by chance have more Sirius and Canopus patrons for the Star Lords' sake.</p><p>Now that the patrons were identified, he invited them to enjoy refreshments while he prepared their individual treatments.</p><p>He wrote down which patrons belonged to which blood type and set out the name plates on the chairs in the storage room.</p><p>About five minutes later, as he walked back into the ballroom, he was stopped by a man in a wheelchair.</p><p>"Can I help you?" Blavat asked</p><p>The man looked up at him, timidly asking, "W-Where are the Phantomhive Twins? They were at the showing you held to advertise the place, where are they?"</p><p>Blavat's sky blue eyes widened, staring into the Baron's olive green ones but he recovered quickly, "When I take the others to the treatment, do not follow."</p><p>***</p><p>Kelvin was ecstatic as the other nobles in the room followed Mister Sky out, finally he was being allowed to see the twins.</p><p>He waited in the ballroom for around fifteen minutes before Blavat returned with the twins on either side of him.</p><p>“Oh, my Lords Phantomhive, I am so happy to see you both alright! I was so distressed when I thought you both had been lost alongside your parents” The Baron greeted</p><p>“Who are you?” One of the twins, the slightly taller of the two, asked</p><p>“Forgive me, I forgot to reintroduce myself, my name is Baron Thomas Kelvin, but please call me ‘Tom’.” Kelvin awkwardly introduced, “We meet about three years ago at a party with your father.”</p><p>The two blunettes blinked a bit in confusion but the shorter one spoke, taking his brother’s hand, “Oh, I remember you now. You look different.”</p><p>Tom was thrilled one remembered him, he had made an impression!</p><p>“Y-Yes, I have undergone some cosmetic surgeries in the past few years.” He informed with a blush</p><p>The twins then asked what he wanted.</p><p>“J-Just to see you both wondrous roses and partake in the treatment offered.” The Baron replied, worried they were agitated with him</p><p>“What star is he under?” The taller twin turned to the fortune teller and asked</p><p>“Polaris, Lord Sirius.” Blavat replied</p><p>The shorter twin whispered something to the other and try as he might Kelvin could not hear it.</p><p>Fortunately, he did not have to wonder long because the shorter twin spoke, “This music hall is not just a music hall and a hidden youth treatment center, it is also home to celestial beings chosen by the most important stars. Ciel and I have been chosen by Sirius and the girl you met at the showing, Sieglinde, was chosen by Canopus. The three of us have been looking for our counterparts in Vega and Polaris, we believe the latter might be you.”...</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Improvisations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Blavat and Baron Kelvin's eyes widened as Astre spoke.</p><p>"You believe this man is Lord Polaris, Lord Sirius?" Blavat questioned, shocked as he gestured to the other man</p><p>"I do." Astre confirmed, "I can sense his radiance."</p><p>The wheelchair bound man felt pure ecstasy as he heard those words.</p><p>He had finally been noticed, had finally become a man worthy of their notice.</p><p>The fortune teller blinked rapidly before he quickly regained his calm, "I see. I will escort Lord Polaris to his room and return swiftly."</p><p>Blavat turned to Tom, "Please follow me, Lord Polaris."</p><p>***</p><p>After showing the Baron to his new bedroom as a Star Lord, Blavat rushed to the collection room.</p><p>When he arrived, he found Undertaker, Wolfram and Lord Canopus collecting blood from the unconscious patrons.</p><p>"Undertaker." Blavat said, getting the reaper's attention</p><p>"Yes?" Said reaper asked, busy filling a vial with blood</p><p>"The twins have chosen their Polaris." He informed</p><p>That caused the mortician to pause in his actions, "What?! Who?"</p><p>"Some Baron they met in the past, Thomas Kelvin." Blavat answered</p><p>With that, Undertaker put down what he was doing —knowing the other two in the room would finish up— and followed Blavat back to the ballroom where the twins waited.</p><p>"Blavat tells me you have found Polaris." Undertaker said as he approached his grandsons</p><p>"We did." Ciel confirmed, lacing his fingers with his twin's</p><p>"Why him?" He questioned, curious</p><p>Astre replied, "He knew who we were, said he met us before at a party we went to with father. From the way he spoke I could tell he is obsessed with us and I knew we could use that. He can be a bodyguard in a way and a scapegoat if we get caught. Besides, we can just replace him if we find a better Polaris."</p><p>Behind his bangs, the reaper's yellow and green eyes gained a wicked sheen, "How lucky am I to have such brilliant grandsons."</p><p>The twins smiled at the praise, Astre blushing a bit in embarrassment.</p><p>Undertaker picked them up and carried them back to their bedroom, "How are you both feeling?"</p><p>"Strong." Ciel replied, Astre nodding in agreement</p><p>"That is good to hear." Undertaker replied, setting them in bed</p><p>The reaper waited for them to change into their bed clothes, getting their oxygen tanks and masks ready.</p><p>He tucked them in and helped them out on their masks, with that he wished them a good night and closed the door.</p><p>***</p><p>Now that his grandsons were safely asleep, Undertaker returned to the patron room to count the bottles of blood collected.</p><p>Each bottle held just a pint, so they took two bottles worth from the Canopus and Sirius patrons and just one from the rest.</p><p>He cursed having only two bottles of Sirius blood, that would barely get the twins through the next week.</p><p>Blavat really needed to get to advertising the Music Hall, they needed all the Sirius blood they could get.</p><p>As he put the blood away in the ice chest, he stayed hidden as the patrons woke up and left.</p><p>While he waited, the reaper's thoughts returned to Polaris, this Baron Kelvin.</p><p>He went back in his memories and recalled such a man.</p><p>Yes he remembered him now, the man had briefly visited with Vincent a few years ago.</p><p>If he remembered correctly his son had not even known who the man was but had still politely spoke with him before ditching him again.</p><p>Undertaker exhaled sharply, it seemed this Baron was bugging his family even now.</p><p>But Astre had been right, it was always useful to have a scapegoat.</p><p>As much as he hated the scenario that brought the twins into his care, he had to admit he enjoyed being a grandfather.</p><p>He had not been able to be a father, had watched from the sidelines as another man raised his children, and that would always be amongst his biggest regrets.</p><p>Perhaps the saying "if you do not raise your children, you will end up raising your grandchildren" had some credence to it, of course he never expected it to be like this.</p><p>Going back down memory lane, he remembered the day his life had permanently changed.</p><p>That day had been so recent, barely forty-two years ago, the day he had met his beloved Claudia.</p><p>The twins resembled her greatly, practically younger male clones of her.</p><p>They both had the same sapphire blue eyes and navy blue hair as her, the same porcelain pale skin.</p><p>Astre had her intelligence and gentleness, her manipulative charm.</p><p>Ciel had her darkness and bloodlust and protective nature —though his was much greater than hers.</p><p>Undertaker was aware of Ciel’s...blood curiosity.</p><p>The fear in Vincent’s voice when he had told him about that incident had just solidified his decision not tell them about his relation to them at the time.</p><p>Personally, Undertaker did not see what had frightened his son so much about Ciel being seven and examining a corpse and being the one who made the corpse...</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Shattered</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>The cruelest thing about death is not the absolute pain you feel after losing someone, it is the fact that the world continues on as if nothing had happened.</p><p>Being a reaper, death was something Undertaker was used to.</p><p>During his over five hundred years of life, he had seen it everywhere.</p><p>Even when he was human in the thirteen hundreds, he was well familiar with death.</p><p>He had lived through the Bubonic Plague and had watched his village slowly die from it.</p><p>That was a lie, he had not survived the plague, he had caught the disease on the eve of his twenty-third birthday.</p><p>And killed himself the next morning before it could kill him, one slash across the neck with a butcher's knife was all it took.</p><p>He had died Adrian Crevan and woken up Reaper 136649.</p><p>Death still was the majority of his life then, for the next four and a halfish centuries he just did his work.</p><p>Until he met Her in 1845 while reaping the soul of the man she had just killed.</p><p>He did not know how, but she had seen him when he was supposed to be invisible to non-supernatural eyes.</p><p>She had introduced herself as Countess Claudia Phantomhive.</p><p>After that, things had moved rapidly.</p><p>Within a year, 136649 left the reapers and became Undertaker and he and Claudia had fallen in love.</p><p>Over the half-decade that followed he and the young woman had done everything together and he helped her with her duties as the Queen's Watch Dog.</p><p>But then He came to England.</p><p>Mister Cedric K. Rosenfield, the wealthy son of a spice merchant, was the person Undertaker hated most in the entire world.</p><p>When he came to England from Germany to marry Claudia like their parents had arranged decades ago, the reaper saw red.</p><p>But he had stood aside, knowing how much Claudia valued duty, and watched her marry another man.</p><p>Undertaker supposed he got the last laugh though, it was not Cedric who fathered Vincent in 1851 nor Frances in 1853.</p><p>And he was not ashamed to say he felt joy when Cedric died a year after Frances' birth to pneumonia.</p><p>They spent the next thirteen years raising their children —though their children did not know the truth of their father's identity— until the worst occurred.</p><p>Claudia grew sick with cholera during the late spring of 1866 and passed away during mid-July.</p><p>Their fifteen year old son became Earl and Undertaker fell into a deep depression.</p><p>Even though he felt numb, he remained by his son's side the entire time and helped him with his Watch Dog duties.</p><p>Then in 1871 things changed once more and brought the heartbroken reaper a bit of joy: he was a grandfather now; Frances had a son she named Edward.</p><p>More joy returned three years later in 1874 when Frances had a daughter named Elizabeth.</p><p>But the greatest amount of joy came a year and a half later when Vincent had twin sons: Ciel and Astre.</p><p>The twins resembled their grandmother greatly: they had the same navy blue hair, sapphire blue eyes and delicate features.</p><p>Just as he had with his children, Undertaker watched from a slight distance as his grandchildren grew up.</p><p>For a decade that was enough, he longed to reveal himself as their grandfather but did not, content with just being views as an old family friend.</p><p>That changed just a few months ago when his heart shattered for a second time.</p><p>His son, his daughter-in-law and his precious grandsons were gone just like that.</p><p>The fire had destroyed their bodies; he had found a way to reverse death and he could not even use it for the failsafe he had planned.</p><p>He had hoped to not use it for decades and yet he could not even use it when he needed it.</p><p>But, though his grapevine in the reaper world, he learned something: the souls of Ciel and Astre had not been collected —they were alive.</p><p>He threw himself into tracking them down, but by the time he found them he was too late.</p><p>Though it was there he also found fortune: the young boys' bodies were mostly intact and their souls had not been reaped.</p><p>He reversed the death cruelly forced upon them far far before their time.</p><p>Undertaker could not save his beloved nor their son, but he saved their grandsons.</p><p>Ciel and Astre were nearly back to life, perfect Bizarre Dolls able to talk and move and think all on their own.</p><p>And while the work on reversing death completely was still going on, he could rest easy knowing that he would never lose his family completely.</p><p>He would first storm through Heaven, fight through Hell and tear down every reaper in his way before letting them be taken away from him again.</p><p>No one would ever stop him from protecting and providing for what remained of his family, not again.</p><p>***</p><p>The following morning, Undertaker woke up in his small bedroom and walked towards the four bedrooms of the Star Lords.</p><p>Pulling out a key, he unlocked the twin's door and walked in, gently waking them up for the day.</p><p>He then pulled an outfit out of the closet for the special event today: the Grand Opening.</p><p>The twins would be wearing: white long-sleeved button-ups that had very thin pink stripes along it; navy blue shorts that had pink detailing; a lavender belt around their waists; and their feet would have lavender stockings with navy blue shoes.</p><p>Ciel and Astre looked adorable in their matching outfits, though he would never say that to them lest they become angry with him —they were still struggling to accept him as their grandfather so he would do nothing to sabotage their feelings about him.</p><p>So he simply walked with them to the small private dining room shared by all the Star Lords so they could eat their breakfast...</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Show Begins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Astre Phantomhive hummed quietly as he sat beside his twin at the breakfast table, Sieglinde and Kelvin already present —and the seat meant for Vega remained empty, but prepared with glassware.</p><p>The rest of the table was littered with all sorts of pastries and fruits and all sorts of other breakfast items like eggs and sausage.</p><p>Kelvin asked about the event happening that night.</p><p>Not wanting to deal with him, Ciel lied and said he and Astre would not be attending and that he should not either.</p><p>The bandaged man gulped and nodded, promising not he wouldn’t.</p><p>***</p><p>The twins wondered around the music hall as the festivities began for the grand opening.</p><p>People from all social classes, from all parts of London, men and women of all ages entered Sphere Music Hall.</p><p>Whether it the allure of a new social club, or the promise of just being fed, easily a hundred people entered when the doors first opened.</p><p>Blavat was instantly swamped with people wanting their fortunes read, wanting to find out what star protected them.</p><p>It took several hours, but Blavat made his way through the hundred or so people in the room.</p><p>Just as predicted: forty-four belonged to Vega, forty-two were under Polaris, ten went to Canopus and just four went to Sirius.</p><p>The results were very disappointing, but it proved their math correct.</p><p>So, the lavender haired man in invited all four people under Sirius and the ten people under Canopus to stay after the grand opening celebration for the after party.</p><p>***</p><p>Meanwhile, the twins were busy looking around for a potential Vega.</p><p>They had a Polaris and needed a Vega to complete the set so they could move on to the next stage of their plan: forming a cult.</p><p>Blavat had been the one to suggest that, saying if they could incite some of the guests —particularly those of Sirius and Canopus blood— into a devoted following, they could insure themselves an easy supply of blood.</p><p>Just as Astre had told Kelvin, they would be pretending to be the five chosen by stars to be their representatives looking to shine their light on the world, to cleanse them of their mortal filth.</p><p>All of it was a lie of course, but as long as everyone bought it then it truly did not matter.</p><p>They would tell their followers that blood sacrifice was a requirement to be blessed with an astral body upon death.</p><p>There were four layers to the Music Halls hierarchy: the common folk that would come and visit and unknowingly donate blood Monday to Friday; the devoted of the cult who would knowingly donate blood in attempts to get paradise; the nobles believing they were reviving eternal youth and life for a price; and finally the six of them —Undertaker, Blavat, Sieglinde, Wolfram, and the twins— who knew the truth.</p><p>Wandering around for the entirety of the four hours the grand opening party took, the twins did not find any of the Vegas to be interesting enough to want.</p><p>Which was fine, these things could not be rushed, so Ciel and Astre watched as the Vega and Polaris filtered out and left the fourteen Canopus and Sirius behind.</p><p>When the party had begun, the twins both out on Sirius bracelets to blend in with the four others of their blood type, making them think their numbers were six instead of four.</p><p>So they followed Blavat as he led the group to the four star chambers, telling the Canopus and Sirius to split into their respective groups to go into the appropriate rooms.</p><p>The room behind the Canis Major doors was beautiful, modled after a roman ruin with the roof decorated with the stars.</p><p>Two rows of seats lined the circular room surrounding a fountain.</p><p>The hired staff hurried in and presented the six Sirius blessed with a special dinner: creamy three mushroom risotto and a pork and wine pot-au-feu along with warm apple compote with yogurt.</p><p>Hidden with the twin's silverware were a pair of nose plugs, which they kept out of sight of the other four in the room.</p><p>A hired harp player began to play her instrument, relaxing all of the guests in the room.</p><p>As the woman began to sing, the six people ate their delicious meal.</p><p>"Do you like it, starshine?" Ciel whispered to his twin</p><p>Astre nodded, whispering as well, "It is delicious, skylight, did you tell them to make this?"</p><p>"I did." The elder twin confirmed as the song ended</p><p>Knowing their cue, the pair discreetly put in their nose plugs as a 'perfume' entered the room and knocked the musician and the four others out.</p><p>Undertaker then entered wearing a nose plug as well, wheeling in the blood extractors.</p><p>Ignoring the musician, Undertaker hooked the machine up to the four Sirius blooded and took two pints from each of them.</p><p>While he waited for the blood to collect in the eight glass vials, Undertaker gave his grandsons a smile and asked what they thought of the party Blavat planned.</p><p>"It was pleasant." Ciel replied</p><p>"A bit boring though, we need more performers if we want to attract more attention." Astre added</p><p>The white haired reaper nodded, "I agree. How are you both feeling?"</p><p>"Fine." The twins simultaneously answered</p><p>"Especially now that we see all that." Ciel continued, gesturing to the filling blood vials</p><p>It was a pleasant sight after all, those eight vials were a month's worth of blood for the twins.</p><p>Once the blood was all collected, Undertaker left with the blood and machines as the perfume’s effect began to wear off.</p><p>Everyone woke up snd the music resumed.</p><p>By time the clock rang for midnight, Blavat entered the room and thanked them all for coming to the after party.</p><p>“Sirius members have a private party every week here on Friday at eight pm.” Blavat added as everyone left the room, “I hope you will join us again then as well as on Saturday for the open to anyone party. Please feel free to bring your fiends and family.”</p><p>The twins pretended to follow the group out, but made a u-turn in a hallway and returned to the blood collection room.</p><p>Seeing Sieglinde costing ten bottles of blood she and her butler had collected, she confirmed she would be good for two and a half months with this week’s collection.</p><p>All eighteen labeled vials of blood were put in the walk-in ice chest in the storage room.</p><p>Exhausted, all six of them then went to bed to get ready for the Patron Event the next day...</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The Servants of the Stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>That Monday night, barely two days later, it was time for the Servants of the Stars to meet.</p><p>Said servants were members of a cult Blavat had started, those who had bought into the idea that all humans belonged to one the four greatest stars and worshipper said stars would gain them a chance at a celestial body after death.</p><p>The way of worship they performed was not prayer snd hymns like other religions, they cleansed themselves of their sin every six months at the meeting place Blavat provided.</p><p>And their ‘sin’ purifying was just an elaborate way to get them to willingly give blood.</p><p>The followers, the Servabts of the Stars, would meet three more of their chosen gods tonight when Astre, Ciel and Kelvin would make their grand entrance.</p><p>***</p><p>An hour or so after sunset, Astre found himself sat in the ballroom of Sphere Music Hall lounging on a black velvet chaise atop the stage with Ciel —their legs tangled together as they leaned against opposite sides of the chaise.</p><p>They were identically dressed in a simple black shirts that had a high ruffled collar and long sleeves with ruffled cuffs as well as matching black shorts.</p><p>Their legs were covered with black stockings embroidered all over with the Canis Major constellation and plain black leather shoes that had silver bottoms.</p><p>What most would notice where the navy blue lace veils that were so thick it obscured their features and kept their faces, arms and torsos hidden.</p><p>Atop each of their veiled heads were a silver diadem holding a single star.</p><p>Looking to the chaise to their right, Astre saw Sieglinde dressed similarly to them.</p><p>Her lace veil was emerald green instead of navy blue, her outfit was a dress instead of shirt and shorts, her stockings displayed the Carina constellation instead of Canis Major and her silver diadem had two stars.</p><p>The chaise between her and Kelvin was empty, holding only a diadem displaying three stars resting on the velvet seat.</p><p>Finally was Kelvin, similarly dressed as well.</p><p>His shirt was the same as the twins but his pant legs displayed the Ursa Minor constellation instead of wearing stockings, his lace veil was a eggplant purple and his silver diadem held four stars.</p><p>Standing on the ground surrounding the stage were easily fifty or so people dressed in pure white cloaks all wearing the silver bracelets that held their designated star as well as white masks that covered all but their eyes and lips.</p><p>The sight of the crowed had frightened the twins at first, reminding them of the black cloaked men and women dressed as friars and nuns of the cult that had killed them.</p><p>But they knew they were safe here, here they were to be the ones worshipped not the sacrificial lambs.</p><p>Looking to his right, Astre saw Undertaker leaning against the wall backstage, watching him and Ciel carefully to ensure their safety in case any of the devoted got too excited to see the embodiment of the stars.</p><p>Blavat emerged suddenly from the shadows, addressing the cloaked individuals, "Greetings, blessed stars, it is still so nice to see you all for the first time this year. As you all can see, we are not only joined by Lady Canopus anymore, we have finally found our Lords Sirius and Lord Polaris. The search for the Star Lords is nearly complete —the chosen of Vega is still yet to be found."</p><p>A murmur of prayers went through the crowd, asking for Lord or Lady Vega to be found.</p><p>"As you all know, we meet once every six months to cleanse ourselves of our sin and our human filth in hopes to become even a fraction as celestial as our beloved Star Lords." The lavender haired man continued once the crowd quieted, "Now, let us commence with our cleansing."</p><p>The crowd seemed to know what to do as they split into four groups all standing in front of their associated Star Lord —or in Vega's case, a chaise with a diadem.</p><p>Twenty-one people stood before Kelvin, five in front of Sieglinde, two in front of the twins and the remaining twenty-two or so in front of the empty chair.</p><p>Blavat handed everyone a needle connected to a tube as well as a shared bucket —two small ones for Sirius and Canopus and two larger ones for Vega and Polaris.</p><p>In near perfect synchronization, the devoted followers pierced their veins with the needles and let their blood drip into their appropriate bucket.</p><p>The twins’ gaze watched the blood trickle out of the veins of the two cloaked figures before them, knowing that blood would soon be coursing through their own veins.</p><p>Sirius blood was still a hard to find thing; they never had more than a months’ worth apiece in storage.</p><p>Looking towards Sieglinde, Astre noticed her giving the five donators compliments, telling them how wonderful they were and how how pure they were becoming.</p><p>Taking a leaf out of her book, the younger blunette did the same, “Your radiance is glowing so nicely.”</p><p>The two Sirius blooded cultists, thanked them for their kind words and for their notice, saying they were not worthy.</p><p>After a few more passed, after all the blessed gave up a pint of blood, Blavat stood on the stage again.</p><p>“Tonight you are free of sin.” Blavat said, getting the attention of the cult back, “And from now on you can remain that way more. We shall be meeting here at the same time every Monday.”</p><p>The crowd cheered, the idea of being pure more often addictive.</p><p>All of them had always been skeptical of a unseen Heaven, but the opportunity to join the very visible stars as a celestial body, as one of them, was amazing.</p><p>The pain of the flesh mattered not if that meant an eternity in the stars...</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. A Deal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Doctor Rian Stoker was a brilliant man, nearly mad with devotion to science.</p><p>His inventive ideas and creatively is what made him end up the Head Doctor of Karnstein Hospital.</p><p>But, after the death of his wife and near death of his daughter, he gained a new obsession: finding a way to reverse death.</p><p>So far, all of his attempts were relatively unsuccessful and his benefactors were getting frustrated.</p><p>Though, he was hearing rumors of a new group among the upper class trying to accomplish a similar goal with success.</p><p>Rian searched through his patrons for anyone who had heard of this group and he was led to them at a Sphere Music Hall in London.</p><p>***</p><p>Blavat Sky would never call himself a busy worker, after all he became a fortune teller when anyone else would have gotten a job in some factory or as a servant.</p><p>Though, he supposed he was a servant now, a servant of the stars, but that had come with more paperwork than expected.</p><p>Because Undertaker focused exclusively on the research and experimentation side of things, it was up to him to handle things like managing the patrons and cult and all the constant parties for the public.</p><p>It was nice that Lord Sirius the Younger handled his own company, but Blavat still had a heavy plate.</p><p>Deciding to take a break, the lavender haired man walked out of the office and towards the ballroom, heading outside for some fresh air.</p><p>As he opened the door to slip out for a metaphorical smoke break, he saw a man just about to knock.</p><p>"Can I help you, sir?" Blavat asked, surprised to see someone here so early in the day</p><p>"Hello, I was hoping to talk to someone in charge." The stranger awkwardly asked</p><p>"I am he." The fortune teller replied</p><p>"Oh, an acquaintance of mine told me about the uh youth treatment offered here." The other male said</p><p>"The meetings are held on Sundays and there is a five thousand pound fee up front." Blavat replied, his blue eyes narrowed</p><p>The stranger shook his head, "I was not looking for the treatment myself, I was hoping to learn from you. I have been searching for a cure to death for a few years now and I believe finding out how to restore youth could lead me down my path."</p><p>"I see."</p><p>"Oh, where are my manners, I'm Dr. Rian Stoker." The stranger introduced</p><p>"Blavat Sky." Blavat replied, sharing his own name, "I would have to discuss it with my business partner but there is potential for you to assist us. Though, this is a valuable formula, you would have to offer something precious to us as an insure policy that you will not just take our secrets and leave."</p><p>"I have very little money and no items of value, what I do not spend on my research and living expenses goes to my daughter's health." Rian explained</p><p>Blavat considered that, "Well, I still need to discuss it with my partner. Wait here and I will return shortly."</p><p>***</p><p>With that, Blavat hurried to find Undertaker.</p><p>He eventually found the man sitting on a armed ottoman in the Lord Sirius' bedroom.</p><p> </p><p>Both star lords were asleep in their bed, cuddled up to each other as fresh blood was injected into their bodies.</p><p>The reaper looked up as Blavat entered the room, silently asking what he wanted as to not wake the twins.</p><p>Blavat motioned him to follow him into the hallway so they could talk.</p><p>Undertaker began to stand up, but one of the twins sat up, the tubes of his oxygen mask covering part of his face —judging by the glossiness of his right eye Blavat guessed it was Astre—, "What is going on?"</p><p> </p><p>"Starshine~" The other twin whined, trying to pull him back down to continue their cuddle</p><p>"There is a man at the door who wishes to 'learn' about how we 'reverse age' so he can reverse death." Blavat replied</p><p>"Let him in." Astre ordered, giving his twin his hand, "What did he offer in return for our knowledge?"</p><p>"He says he is broke and lived frugally to afford his research and sickly daughter." The fortune teller answered</p><p>"That is what he will give us then. We will keep his daughter here as insurance. If she is Sirius or Canopus she can earn her keep by donating to us and if not oh well." Astre replied, laying back down</p><p>Ciel's arm immediately wrapped back around him, pulling him tightly against him.</p><p>***</p><p>Rian just blinked as Blavat told him he had to trade his daughter for science.</p><p>"We have the finest medical equipment available, she would not fall ill in our care." Blavat assured, "And she would be here, where you could visit her as much as you would like."</p><p>The brunette but his lip, unsure what to choose.</p><p>He could continue his research to bring his wife back from death but end up sacrificing his daughter too.</p><p>Making the difficult choice for the betterment of science, he agreed.</p><p>***</p><p>A week later, Doctor Stoker led his daughter into the music hall, immediately being greeted by Blavat Sky.</p><p>The lavender haired man pricked her finger and let a drop of blood fall into a cup.</p><p>"You are under the protection of Vega." Blavat said to her, putting a silver bracelet on her wrist</p><p>He led her to a bedroom that had three stars above the door.</p><p>“This will be your bedroom for the foreseeable future.” He informed her, opening the door</p><p>The bedroom was simple, having a lavish king-sized bed with plain white sheets and a dresser and armoire and a vanity.</p><p>Laying in the bed was a Bitter Rabbit with a tiny basket of candy.</p><p>“Who is this from?” Rian asked as her daughter picked up the stuffed toy</p><p>“From the leaders of this group.” Blavat said, leaving the room, “Get settled in, I will be back later to take her to dinner.”</p><p>Layla sat on her bed as her father began to unpack her luggage...</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Green with Envy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Ciel Phantomhive was upset, very upset —at least that was what he was telling himself since he was actually jealous.</p><p>That new girl —whatever her name was, that stupid doctor's daughter— had just moved in and Astre had given her a gift!</p><p>It wasn't fair, Astre should not be paying any attention to some stupid girl!</p><p>The blunette was frowning as he sat on the side of their bed, feeling arms wrap around his chest.</p><p>"What's wrong, Skylight?" A voice he knew to be Astre's asked</p><p>Ciel leaned into his twin's embrace, "Nuthin'. You love me more than anyone, right, Starshine?"</p><p>"Of course I do." Astre replied, resting his head on Ciel's shoulder, "You are the best big brother ever."</p><p>***</p><p>At breakfast, the twins were sat at their usual place at the head of the table, Kelvin and Sieglinde also present as Blavat escorted Layla in.</p><p>The eleven year old girl was average for her age, had wavy light brown hair and hazel eyes and wore a plain sky blue dress.</p><p>Meekly, she sat at the table beside Sieglinde as Blavat directed her too.</p><p>The lavender haired man introduced her to everyone.</p><p>Three of the four others at the table smiled politely at her but Ciel scowled at her.</p><p>"Good morning, Layla." Astre greeted, breaking the awkward silence</p><p>"G-Good morning to you as well." Layla blushed, shyly looking down to her plate</p><p>"Did you find your room acceptable?" The younger blunette asked, making pleasant conversation to avoid the silence</p><p>The brunette nodded, "Yes, it is the nicest room I have ever had. Thank you for the gift basket; it was so kind of you to give me Funtom items, they must have been expensive —my father told me the waiting list to get a Bitter Rabbit is practically a mile long."</p><p>***</p><p>A few hours later, while Astre was busy with paperwork and toy design for Funtom, Ciel walked around Sphere Music Hall.</p><p>Though, he was not just walking around bored today, today he had a purpose behind this seemingly mindless walk.</p><p>The would-be Earl entered the library with his hands behind his back to conceal the scalpel he had gotten from the hidden workshop.</p><p>There, sitting on a plush chair with a book on illnesses, was Layla.</p><p>Ciel hated the girl bitterly even though he had not even had a conversation with her.</p><p>She had been —even briefly— the object of his precious Astre's attention, so she simply had to go.</p><p>Especially after all the words she had said to his twin, she deserved death.</p><p>Without warning, Ciel picked up the heaviest object within reach —which was the currently unlit cast iron candelabra— and hit Layla in the head from behind.</p><p>He then pushed her out of her chair and began to stab her with the scalpel, easily cutting through her flesh.</p><p>Laughing insanely as she died, he began 'play' doctor like he had with that stupid maid's dog all those years ago.</p><p>Ciel cut her open and was about to pull out her organs when a hand was placed on his shoulder.</p><p>Looking up at the owner of that black-nailed hand, the blunette saw his grandfather.</p><p>"What are you doing?" Ciel asked, clearly annoyed to have his play interrupted</p><p>The white haired reaper raised an eyebrow —though that could not be seen thanks to his long bangs—, "I could ask you the same thing, young lord."</p><p>"I am playing doctor." Ciel answered, his tone acting like that should have been obvious</p><p>"I see, why with Miss Stoker?" Undertaker asked, gently getting the scalpel out of the boy's bloody hands</p><p>Ciel rolled his sapphire blue eyes, "Because she wanted to take Astre from me!"</p><p>Undertaker just blinked, storing that bit of knowledge away for later, "If you wished to learn surgery you should have asked me, I would be more than happy to show you how I create the Bizarre Dolls. In fact I can give a demonstration right now since we have to repair your little...accident with Miss Stoker."</p><p>The young blunette pouted but obeyed as Undertaker picked up Layla's corpse and took it to the lab.</p><p>Together, they brought her back from the dead into a perfect Bizarre Doll like the twins and Sieglinde since her soul had not vacated.</p><p>The reaper altered her cinematic record a bit, making her forget about being murdered but instead believing she had choked on a hair pin while biting her locks whilst reading.</p><p>The multitude of stab wounds had been stitched shut with pale beige thread, making them mostly invisible and easily ignorable.</p><p>***</p><p>Astre pouted as he walked into his bedroom after finishing his work for the day, seeing his twin hiding under the covers.</p><p>Undertaker had just told him that Ciel thought Layla was trying to come in between them, thus why he had killed her.</p><p>"Skylight, I need to talk to you." Astre softly said as he sat on his side of the bed, cuddling against the lump underneath their blanket that was his brother</p><p>Ciel mumbled, his words hard to make out from his tone and from under the duvet, "I do not want to right now."</p><p>"Please, big brother?" The younger twin begged, making his tone sugar sweet</p><p>Ciel sighed and uncovered his face, the rest of him still hidden.</p><p>"Oh, Ciel, you did not have to kill her to regain my affections." Astre gently explained, cupping his older twin's chin in his small palms, "You never lost it. But you must learn to control your jealousy, it is not becoming of a future Earl to kill over petty things."</p><p>The older twin pouted, ashamed to have made Astre disappointed in him.</p><p>"I have always belonged to you and always will, just as you belong to me." Astre added, smiling</p><p>Ciel was frozen in place as Astre leaned closer to him, bringing their lips together...</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Lazarus Pit</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Blissfully unaware of what had befallen his daughter, Rian Stoker found himself in a cemetery across London with Blavat Sky.</p><p>Together, they went into a large mausoleum that claimed to belong to a Lazarus Family.</p><p>Doctor Stoker found the surname rather ironic as it was the name of a biblical figure —Lazarus of Bethany— that had been...restored to life after death.</p><p>This was not a coincidence at all, it said everything without saying anything.</p><p>Whilst he had been thinking, Blavat opened the mausoleum's door, moving a urn resting along the wall to activate the trap door hidden beneath a pedestal.</p><p>They walked down the hidden stairs and into a seemingly endless crypt below.</p><p>The largest room, the one that the stairs led into, was a laboratory with several tables and a large assortment of medical and scientific equipment.</p><p>But what caught Rian's attention was the large icebox in the corner and that every inch of wall-space was supporting one of the dozens of upright coffins.</p><p>The pungent scent of death and decay lead the man to an easy conclusion as to what was in those coffins: corpses.</p><p>Anyone else would be screaming in terror and desperately trying to escape, but Rian was a zealot of science and was only further intrigued.</p><p>Blavat opened the nearest coffin to reveal the body of a woman with black hair.</p><p>She was dressed only her undergarments —a white chemise and a white corset— along with a white sash tried around her eyes and several lines of stitches covered her visible skin.</p><p>The fortune teller turned to the doctor, "My business partner is the one more knowledgeable about the practical end of our research, but I can provide a start for you. Just give her a moment to 'wake up'."</p><p>Before Rian could ask what he meant, the woman's corpse began moving, walking towards him.</p><p>"W-What is going on?" The brunette fearfully asked, taking an instinctive step back</p><p>Blavat explained, "We have discovered how to reverse death, unfortunately we have not refined the process yet. We can get them up and going, but they are unable to speak or think or do any of the things that make humans human."</p><p>The woman lunged at Rian, trying to bite him.</p><p>Blavat pulled her away and shoved her back into the coffin, sealing the lid, "And there is that little problem, the ones we revive are rather cannibalistic; they always attack living people. But that is why we have let you join us, another brain to help us get over these hurdles and truly revive these people here." </p><p>***</p><p>Layla Stoker gasped as she shot up in bed, clutching her throat.</p><p>Hyperventilating a bit, the young girl sat up in bed, feeling something connecting to her arm and on her face.</p><p>Tugging at the one on her arm, she noticed it was a tube that led to a machine pumping a red liquid into her.</p><p>Upon further examination she saw a bottle on the top of the machine that read "Vega" and she made a guess that it was blood.</p><p>The mask —or more accurately a tube that wrapped around her face that had little places for his nostrils— also led to the machine where she saw an oxygen canister.</p><p>"Do not tug on those." A soft voice told her</p><p>Looking up, she saw a man with long white hair who wore black robes that had a grey sash.</p><p>"W-Who are you?" Layla asked</p><p>The man replied, "Call me Undertaker, I am one of the leaders of this group."</p><p>"L-Like Mr. Sky?" The brunette asked</p><p>Undertaker nodded, "Exactly."</p><p>"What h-happened to me?" She asked</p><p>"I do not know the full story as I stumbled across you in the library choking." Undertaker answered, "I tried my best to get whatever was lodged in your throat out with the Heimlich Maneuver, but it was stuck deeply. You died from lack of oxygen, so I immediately got to work to revive you. I removed the hair pin that was stuck with a bit of surgery as it was nearly in your lungs and I brought you back to life."</p><p>Layla just blinked at him, staring at him with her big hazel eyes, "I-I died? B-But you fixed me?"</p><p>"Indeed." Undertaker replied, "But being brought back does come with a bit of annoyances: you must sleep with the oxygen mask every night and I will give you fresh blood every week."</p><p>The young girl nodded, understanding.</p><p>"Also —Blavat will explain more when he returns as he knows more about this than I— but you will need to work for your oxygen and blood." Undertaker added</p><p>***</p><p>A few hours later, Blavat returned and was quickly filled in on Ciel's 'accident' with Miss Stoker and the cover story they had come up with.</p><p>The fortune teller retrieved the three-stared silver diadem and a thick maroon lace veil from the storage closet and went to Layla's room.</p><p>He softly knocked on the door snd waited to be allowed in, which he quickly was.</p><p>Walking in, the lavender haired man was greeted with the sight of the girl hugging the Bitter Rabbit plush she had been given.</p><p>"Good evening." Blavat greeted, "Undertaker has informed you what happened, right?"</p><p>Layla nodded, "He said you would give me a job, so...so I c-could earn my keep."</p><p>"My friend is a genius, but he does not understand the stars as I do. But, even he was able to recognize your radiance; I am rather ashamed I did not see it when you arrived or any time since." Blavat explained, mentally cursing Undertaker's bluntness</p><p>The brunette raised an eyebrow, "My radiance?"</p><p>"Yes, everyone's soul has a bit of radiance, the more you have the holier you are. You are among the five holy beings, chosen ones of the most powerful stars. The twins are Sirius' chosen, Sieglinde is Canopus', Kelvin is Polaris' and Vega has chosen you." Blavat elaborated, "The 'job' Undertaker referred to is not a job at all, it is merely to accept your title of Lady Vega."</p><p>Layla stared at her reflection as the maroon lace veil was put over her head and the diadem was placed over that.</p><p>Lady Vega, that suited her just fine...</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Gifts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>A month passed and soon December fourteenth arrived, marking the twin's eleventh birthday and nearly a full year dead.</p><p>It had been a long and rather busy year —once they had gotten past the several weeks spent in a coffin— and they were as happy as two undead boys could be.</p><p>Which is what bothered them, still being undead.</p><p>Undertaker had promised to restore them to life completely and not a lot of progress had been made on that front.</p><p>And while beggars could not be choosers, it was still an upsetting bit of knowledge.</p><p>Their grandfather claimed it was because while he had plenty of normal Bizarre Dolls to do his research on, there were only four of them with souls —being the twins, Sieglinde and Layla— and he could not experiment on any of them.</p><p>As a result, the twins decided to get themselves a gift for their birthday; technically it was a gift to Undertaker which would in turn become a gift to them.</p><p>They would find someone who was expendable and convince them to become a Bizarre Doll with a soul that Undertaker could do his research on.</p><p>Which is where Kelvin came into play.</p><p>***</p><p>Because it was a Tuesday, it was a Vega private party night.</p><p>Blavat had considered postponing the Weekly Vega Party to Friday and moving the Sirius Party up to Tuesday but the twins denied the idea, saying they did not want a grand party to celebrate their eleventh birthday —the idea of parties had become tiring after there was a party at the Music Hall every night save Monday when the Servants of the Stars met.</p><p>It was an understandable sentiment, but Blavat —being a self-proclaimed preacher of the stars— could not imagine not celebrating the birth of a Star Lord —much less two of them.</p><p>So he planned a small party to take place at dinner, it would be nothing outrageous as they wanted but there would be gifts and a luxurious cake.</p><p>***</p><p>Baron Thomas Kelvin, now additionally known as 'Lord Polaris', was so overjoyed everyday but especially today.</p><p>Just being allowed in the vicinity of the Phantomhive Twins was utter bliss to him, but to be able to see them at meals and occasionally catching glimpses of them throughout the day was nirvana.</p><p>Sitting on his wheelchair in his bedroom, Kelvin was going through the letters he had received from Joker and the rest of his adopted children when he heard a knock at the door.</p><p>Thinking it was Blavat like usual, he allowed the person to open the door.</p><p>His olive green eyes widened when the twins walked into the room —Ciel keeping his hands behind his back as Astre opened the door.</p><p>"M-My Lords!" Kelvin greeted, "Happy birthday!"</p><p>"Thank you, Polaris." The taller twin thanked with a polite smile</p><p>The younger twin smiled as well, "We know Blavat is planning a small party for us tonight but there is a gift we want from you."</p><p>"What is it? I will get it for you!" The Baron eagerly asked</p><p>"That is the best part, it is not a physics object at all, just a mere word from you." Ciel sweetly said</p><p>"Do you adore us, Polaris, would you do anything for us?" Astre added, his tone sweeter than honey</p><p>The wheelchair-bound man nodded eagerly, "Yes, absolutely anything at all. I worship the ground beneath your blessed feet."</p><p>"Would you even die for us?" The twins simultaneously asked</p><p>"Gladly." Kelvin replied</p><p>Ciel revealed the knife he had hidden behind his back, "Good."</p><p>Before anyone could say anything else, the elder blunette had plunged the blade into the Baron's sternum.</p><p>The obsessed man spit up blood, a smile never leaving his face as his vison grew black.</p><p>He was not upset in the slightest over what had occurred, it was an honor to be the blood that spilt to begin the twin's blessedly sinful reign of the Underworld.</p><p>***</p><p>Undertaker, Adrian Crevan, Silver Fox, 136649 —whatever you wanted to call him— was sat in the small basement room of Sphere Music Hall that he had made his private lab and bedroom.</p><p>Today was his grandsons’ birthday and he had no idea what to do for it.</p><p>Sticking a dog biscuit between his teeth and holding it like a cigar, he was deep in thought when the door suddenly opened.</p><p>Thinking it to be Blavat he did not even bother to look up as he waited for the fortune teller to complain or ask his opinion on some trivial matter.</p><p>He was slightly shocked to head Astre’s voice and immediately looked up to see if something was wrong.</p><p>The reaper was even more worried when he saw the boy was alone as it was rare to see one twin without the other close by.</p><p>“Is something amiss, young one? It is very rare for you to venture down here.” Undertaker asked</p><p>Astre gave a small smile, “Ciel and I have a gift for you.”</p><p>“A gift for me on your birthday?” He asked, an unseen eyebrow rose</p><p>“Follow me to see it.” The blunette said, leading him to Polaris’ bedroom</p><p>The undead boy opened the door to reveal Ciel covered in a mist of blood in front of Kelvin’s cooling corpse.</p><p>Undertaker’s yellow and green ringed eyes widened at the sight, while it was not nearly as gruesome as the mess Ciel made of Miss Stroker, it was still quite bloody.</p><p>“What happened?” He asked the two boys</p><p>“You told us you needed Bizarre Dolls with souls to study with so you can revive us completely so we got one for you.” Ciel explained, still holding the bloody knife</p><p>Astre nodded, “He even volunteered for it; said the idea of helping us made him happier than anything.”</p><p>***</p><p>Because Kelvin had not been dead long and no reaper had collected his soul, it was very easy to make him into a Bizarre Doll like the rest of the Star Lords.</p><p>Because Ciel had stabbed the man in the sternum, he would have been crippled if he had not already been.</p><p>When Kelvin had woken up hooked up to the machine that was pumping him full of Polaris blood, he is first question had not been about what had happened to him or ask why he was not dead, but rather if he had given the twins the present they desired.</p><p>And it had been, the trinkets and other gifts they received were no one near as satisfying as that knowledge of being one step closer to being truly alive again...</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. The Whitechapel Murders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Nearly two years passed and it was now early October of 1888.</p><p>Things in the Music Hall had continued to run smoothly with the parties and cult meetings insuring the Star Lords had plenty of blood with enough left over to experiment with.</p><p>Sitting at the breakfast table reading a newspaper, Astre noticed that the new killer —formerly known as the ‘Leather Apron’ but had just named themself ‘Jack the Ripper’— had killed two prostitutes a few days ago on September 30th.</p><p>Normally, no one in the room would care about the deaths of a few street whores but since their murders had been so graphic people were not venturing out of their homes unless they had to.</p><p>Which meant hardly anyone was attending the parties.</p><p>As a result they had to start using up their storage of blood instead of having plenty of fresh.</p><p>So, it was in their best interests to point Scotland Yard —or the Midfords who had taken over the role of Watch Dog after the Phantomhive line was wiped out— towards the serial killer once they found out who they were.</p><p>***</p><p>As the Yard’s go-to mortician, Undertaker knew all of the victims were missing their wombs and had been killed by someone with medical knowledge.</p><p>But besides that, he had no ideas, but a feeling in his gut told him it was weird that the victims’ cinematic records had been cut right where their main wounds were —could a reaper be involved?</p><p>While he had abandoned the life of a grim reaper when he had fallen in love with Claudia, Undertaker still had a few contacts left there.</p><p>For a moment he considered writing to Othello —his oldest friend from back in the day— but decided against it; when he had left and half-destroyed headquarters on his way out, the green haired reaper made it clear he was no longer his friend and he never wanted to hear from him again.</p><p>No, instead he wrote to a girl in personnel who had always been sweet on him and asked if there were any rumors of a reaper killing women.</p><p>***</p><p>Marquess Alexis Leon Midford was exhausted.</p><p>Ever since his wife’s brother and his family died three years ago, the responsibilities of Watch Dog had fallen on his shoulders.</p><p>Unlike the Phantomhives’ who were naturally calculating and cold and thus able to navigate and rule the Underworld with ease, the blond man was a gentle soul regardless of his position as the Head of the Order of the Garter.</p><p>Because of this, he was never grateful to have his wife at his side to help him do his duties and train Edward to take over the role when the time came.</p><p>But for today, he was the Watch Dog and the Queen had instructed him to investigate the Whitechapel Murders.</p><p>Heading into London with his wife and daughter —Edward away at Weston— the adults left their daughter and her nursemaid with the rest of the servants at the townhouse before continuing on alone.</p><p>Going into the shadier part of town, they stopped in front of Undertaker’s Funeral Parlor.</p><p>Walking into the shop, the bell chiming as they entered.</p><p>“Welcome, I thought I’d be seeing you two before long.” A disembodied voice greeted, “It’s so lovely to see you.”</p><p>They turned to see the lid of a coffin open, revealing the mortician, “Do I finally have the pleasure to fit either of you in one of my coffins today?”</p><p>“No, that isn’t why we’re here.” Frances monotonely replied, “We are here regarding the-“</p><p>“No need to say! I’m already aware; very well aware.” Undertaker interrupted, “One of my recent customers was a bit unusual shall we say. I certainly helped though, I made her look beautiful again.”</p><p>“I-We would like the details, please.” The marchioness prompted</p><p>“Of course, my lady, for my usual fee.” The white-haired man replied</p><p>Frances sighed and looked to her husband since she had no sense of humor and could not provide the laughter the mortician wanted.</p><p>“Uhhh. Why were they called the ‘dark ages?’” Alexis Leon asked</p><p>Undertaker tilted his head to the side, “Why?”</p><p>“Because there were a lot of knights.” The other man joked</p><p>The mortician burst out in laugher, the building practically shaking with it.</p><p>After a bit, Undergaker served them both tea in beakers and sucked on the tea bags, “You see, I often get customers that are incomplete.”</p><p>“Incomplete?” Alexis Leon asked</p><p>“Yes, their uterus is missing. Which is quite odd. A killer makes a big mess of the body but that particular part is perfectly excised.</p><p>“The killer did that on a road that was public but not high traffic, wouldn’t an amateur have a difficult time carrying out such a complicated procedure quickly enough?” Frances pointed out</p><p>Undertaker turned to face her with a slight smile, “Very clever of you, madam, that is exactly what I was thinking. You see, first he slits their throats with a sharp weapon, then he rips into them and takes that precious womanly part. There will be more slain, I’m certain. Sadistic killers like this don’t stop until someone makes them. Will you sniff him out like a good dog?”</p><p>“I am bound by my and my family’s honor and our oath to the Queen.” Alexis Leon replied, leaving with Frances now that they had information</p><p>***</p><p>Undertaker watched as his daughter and her husband left his shop, waiting until he heard their carriage drive off before walking into the middle of the room.</p><p>Opening the coffins the two nobles had used as a seats, he freed his grandsons.</p><p>He had known the Midfords would be coming to see him today but he had not known when.</p><p>And if he was away from the Music Hall for more than three hours, he always brought the twins with him in case they needed an emergency blood transfusion.</p><p>“So it is true, they are the Watch Dog now.” Ciel pouted as he got out of his coffin, upset to have the role meant for him in another’s hands</p><p>Astre held his hand comfortingly, “From the sound of it Aunt Frances is doing all the work while Uncle Alexis Leon gets all the credit form the Queen. I am certain you would have made a better Watch Dog.”</p><p>The older twin continued to pout but stopped his whining, comforted a bit by that.</p><p>Undertaker hid a smirk by biting on a dog biscuit, it was so funny to know what he did.</p><p>At first glance, everyone —even Ciel himself— assumed that Ciel was the twin in control; but if you paid enough attention, it was clear Astre was pulling the strings and making sure people thought it that way so no one noticed it was he in charge...</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Asylum</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Nothing really happened regarding the serial killer for little over a month.</p><p>But on November tenth, Undertaker got another visit from the Midfords' telling him that he had one final customer due to Jack the Ripper and paid for the whore's funeral.</p><p>The reaper gave them a curious look, "What makes you so certain Ms. Kelly here will be the final victim?"</p><p>"We just know." Alexis Leon replied, leaving the funeral parlor with his wife</p><p>Undertaker just chuckled a bit and hit a dog biscuit, he had finally received a response from his contact the previous night.</p><p>Apparently a reaper, some Grell Sutcliff, had been working with a human woman to kill all those prostitutes who had chosen to get their wombs removed.</p><p>But it had not been any human woman: it had been Baroness Dalles-Burnett, his daughter-in-law's sister.</p><p>And since the woman was not one of his customers and the newspapers were not proclaiming the identity of the serial killer, it was easy to guess Angelina's involvement was being covered up.</p><p>The only question left was where was she now?</p><p>Unfortunately, that too was rather easy to guess; what did the upper classes like to do with unconventional women in order to save face: toss them in a loony bin and throw away the key.</p><p>***</p><p>It took an additional month of searching but Undertaker finally tracked Angelina down to Hanwell Lunatic Asylum.</p><p>The twins had begged to go with him to rescue her, so he left them in the hearse carriage while he broke in.</p><p>Because patients died frequently due to the severe treatments, none of the nurses bat an eye at the sight of the mortician.</p><p>No one even found it strange that he had king since walked past the dead house and towards the offices.</p><p>It was almost pathetically easy as he walked into the records office and looked for her file.</p><p>Opening the drawer labeled "Last Names - A-D", he eventually found hers.</p><p>Opening the file, he read it to find out which cell she was in:</p><p>"Name: Angelina Dalles-Burnett<br/>Age: 30<br/>Martial Status: Widowed<br/>Occupation: Doctor and Baroness<br/>Reasons for Admisson: Jealousy, Death of Husband, Immoral Life, Hysteria, Female Disease<br/>Danger to: Self and Others<br/>Cell: F221."</p><p>Going to the female side of the asylum —after taking a brief stop at the laundry room to steal a spare nurse's uniform— he went to the appropriate cell after he swiped a key off the nurse's station.</p><p>Opening Ann's cell, he found a disheartening sight.</p><p>The noblewoman was wearing a plain white gown that was barely more than a chemise, atop that was a straight-jacket made of leather.</p><p>Her now tangled and matted red hair and the rest of her head was within a cage that connected to the straight jacket.</p><p>Her feet were uncovered in her padded cell, no bedding or any other comforts in the room.</p><p>She was not asleep, instead she stared blankly at the ceiling.</p><p>It had been only a month but this hellhole had broken her spirits already.</p><p>Kneeling on the ground, Undertaker unbuckled each of the many belts holding the straight-jacket together.</p><p>He then helped her to her feet and tossed the restraining garment on the ground.</p><p>"Undertaker?" Angelina asked, "What are you doing here?"</p><p>"I have no time to explain. Get changed quickly and we can leave." The reaper replied, handing her the nurse's uniform he had taken from the laundry</p><p>She did as told, stripping down to her chemise and quickly butting on the navy blue gown and white nurse apron.</p><p>Hopefully, no one would notice she was barefoot as there had not been any shoes nor stockings in the laundry room.</p><p>Together, Angelina followed Undertaker out of the asylum and into the forest behind where the hearse carriage was waiting.</p><p>***</p><p>Opening the carriage door, Angelina stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was waiting within.</p><p>"Ciel? Astre?" She gasped, her hands covering her mouth in shock</p><p>"Hi, Aunt Ann." The twins simultaneously greeted</p><p>Tears immediately sprung to her red eyes, "B-But you two died? I thought you were dead, how are you here?"</p><p>"It is a long story." Astre began</p><p>Ciel nodded, "We got very hurt that December and we have been slowly recovering ever since."</p><p>Stepping into the carriage and sitting across from them, she barely registered the door shutting and Undertaker begin to drive back to London.</p><p>"Tell me everything." The red-headed woman requested</p><p>Astre obliged, sharing their tale of the past three years, "It all started on the night of our tenth birthday. We were waiting for a servant to come get us for our party but when it was getting close to bedtime and no one had come, Ciel went to investigate..."</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Jack the Ripper</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>When Astre caught Angelina up on what had befallen him and Ciel since they had last seen her, the woman had tears welling up in her ruby red eyes.</p><p>"Oh you poor things, you both suffered so much." She tearfully said, hugging them close</p><p>"We are better now, Aunt Ann." Astre comfortingly replied, hugging back</p><p>Ciel did the same, then asking, "What had happened with you since then?"</p><p>"For me, it started a few months before both of your tenth birthday." Angelina began, wiping the tears out of her eyes, "Do you remember how I was in the hospital?"</p><p>She waited for them both to nod before continuing, "My husband, your Uncle Joseph, died in a carriage accident and with him went your unborn cousin. My womb was removed with them in it to save my life. Your mother, my sister, visited me weekly during that time I spent recovering and I healed just in time to go celebrate with you all. But when I arrived the manor was ablaze. After your family's funeral I threw myself into my work as a doctor to keep my mind out of grief. </p><p>Then I had a conference with a patient who wanted a surgery —a womb removal— and I just...acted on instinct. After performing the surgery on her I followed her home and waited for her to be alone before ripping her to little pieces. She willing gave up what I wanted most —what rotten luck and fate took from me. And then, in that bloody afterglow, I met her...a crimson-cloaked grim reaper. We both wanted the same thing, to have a child of own, but different barriers blocked us. My womb was permanently gone and she was stuck in a male body. Together, we took down those whores that casted away the wombs we craved; Scotland Yard only knew of five in the papers but there were dozens.</p><p>But, when Frances and Alexis Leon caught us killing our last whore, Grell left me behind to save her own skin. She did not even bother to help me after all we had gone through together. Even when I was in the asylum, when the doctors there tried to break me and bend me to their will, she did not came back for me. Much to my amazement it was not the woman I was falling in lov-" Angelina stuttered at that final word, thinking through her words that had previously been spilling out, correcting herself, "the woman I had shared a deep connection with, but rather you both, the nephews I believed long gone, with Undertaker of all people. Why is he helping us?"</p><p>"Apparently, father's mother had an affair, her husband fathered neither of her children, Undertaker did." Ciel shared</p><p>Astre nodded, "He is our grandfather, father's father. Undertaker is the one that saved us that month and he has been taking care of us since."</p><p>***</p><p>Soon, they were back in London, the hearse carriage stopping in the alleyway behind the music hall.</p><p>Undertaker opened the door for them, helping them out and following the trip back inside.</p><p>To the average viewer, their were only four bedrooms in the music hall —being the main ones occupied by the Star Lords— by if one knew where to look, there were a dozen more hidden away.</p><p>Such as Undertaker's bedroom in the basement and Blavat's in the attic.</p><p>But the rest were even more discreet, such as the one now belonging to Angelina, a bedroom just across the hall from the twins' —the door handle was camouflaged into filigree on the wall.</p><p>Obviously, the Star Lords had the largest bedrooms, followed by Undertaker and Blavat whose rooms were half bedroom and half lab or office —respectively—, but the remaining bedrooms were still far from cramped.</p><p>Because all the spare bedrooms had been designed with no specific in mind, the room lacked an individuality.</p><p>The queen sized bed was covered in a plain white duvet, the painting decorating the white wall was of a ocean scene, the wardrobe was empty and plain desk was barren.</p><p>But, compared to the month or so spent in a filthy cell in the asylum, this was a paradise.</p><p>***</p><p>As Madam Red physically recovered from that hellish asylum, her tastes returned with her health.</p><p>The white walls of her room were covered with a tasteful grey wallpaper that had a black lace design on it.</p><p>The white bedding was replaced with a ruby red one that had the ruffles she favored.</p><p>A vanity was brought in along with all the makeups and other cosmetic items she used to maintain her appearance.</p><p>And her wardrobe was filled with fashionable gowns of all sorts —nearly all her favorite red— made by the same tailor that made all of the clothes used in the music hall.</p><p>It was also discovered that she was of the Polaris blood type —of which she wore her marking bracelet proudly—, so unfortunately she could not join the list of blood donors for her nephews.</p><p>But, she did contribute in her own way since she was —as a licensed doctor, even though said licensed had been revoked upon her admission to the asylum— able to assist Sieglinde and Undertaker collecting blood during the private parties as well as monitor the Star Lords transfusions when Undertaker was busy.</p><p>And, with her love of parties, she was a common sight during the Public Parties on Saturdays and the Polaris Parties on Wednesdays...</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Ruin</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Look up Funtom Hotel to see all the outfits, the staff are dress like the staff in the picture too but I did not mention that.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Astre hummed as he walked through the newly built hotel's hallway, holding his twin's hand.</p><p>Funtom Resort Hotel had just finished construction and was now receiving its first guests.</p><p>Because of the massive success Funtom had become these past three years, this resort hotel in Brighton had been built.</p><p>Though, to the few aware of what was going on behind the scenes, this hotel was now an additional blood collection location.</p><p>The goal was to have each Star Lord run a collection facility: so far the twins had Funtom Hotel in Brighton and Sphere Music Hall in London and Kelvin had Redbourn Workhouse in Norfolk.</p><p>There were talks of getting a sanatorium for Layla to run and a manor for Sieglinde.</p><p>But that was something to worry about later, first they needed to test out how successful this Hotel would be.</p><p>Undertaker and Aunt Ann were traveling with them at the hotel, posing at the Ghast Family.</p><p>Because the twins were legally dead, Funtom was owned by Dominick Ghast and when they were at the hotel Undertaker would pose as Dominick.</p><p>Angelina would pretend to be his wife, Lilith, and the twins would be their sons, Ares and Hades.</p><p>All four of them were dressed similarly as their clothes were all white and olive green stripes with olive green boys and black detailing.</p><p>The twins both wore caplets with that striped fabric —which was secured around their necks with a olive green bow— over black button-ups, their shorts were made of the same striped fabric and they had black stockings, gloves and boots that still that same striped fabric and their heads were topped with black berets.</p><p>Undertaker wore a black suit jacket that had that green and white striped fabric for detailing, olive green slacks, black shoes and gloves, a white button-up with a vest of that green and white striped fabric and a black top hat that had a ribbon with that fabric.</p><p>Angelina wore a dress made of the green and white fabric and the ruffles revealed by the cut of the dress was black.</p><p>The front desk employee led them to their suite.</p><p>Opening the door for them, the employee waited for them to enter before bringing in their luggage.</p><p>The twins noticed the veins in their arms beginning to turn black, so they rushed to their bed and called out for Undertaker.</p><p>Apparently the five hour carriage ride from London to Brighton had taken a heavy toll on their body —and they had gotten a transfusion just this morning too so this would not happen but it did anyways!</p><p>Undertaker came in with the transfusion machine and hooked them up to it, the machine taking out the black pus the blood became and replenishing them with Sirius blood.</p><p>Luckily the blood in them had made it all the way through the carriage ride since their was not way to get a transfusion done on the road.</p><p>***</p><p>After the twins woke up from their post-transfusion nap, they brushed off their rumpled clothes and walked out of the room.</p><p>They walked into the living room of their suite and found Undertaker sitting with Ann.</p><p>Since the adults had yet to notice them, the two blunettes easedropped as they talked about Vincent Phantomhive.</p><p>"Would it be possible to bring Vincent and Rachel back too? You brought the twins back to life." Ann softly asked</p><p>Undertaker shook his head, "Their bodies burned to ashes. If they had not then they would have been back with the twins, good as new with no one the wiser of their untimely demises."</p><p>"W-Would you be able to revive my husband?" The redhead questioned</p><p>The reaper shook his head, "Most likely if I had done so immediately after his death, but it would not have been successful. Joseph died in London were reapers are always around the corner —his soul was collected right away. Even if he was revived he would not be as you remember him; without their souls the reborn are just mindless moving bodies that just consume the living around them. I imagine you nor he would be happy if Joesph was left in that state, unfortunate as it is it is better to let him rest like her.”</p><p>No one had to say anything to know ‘her’ meant Claudia.</p><p>Undertaker then stood up, “I a going to check on the twins, the trip really wore them out.”</p><p>Ann nodded, “Want a drink when you get back?”</p><p>“I should not.” The reaper denied, “I must be level headed to deal with the machine.”</p><p>As he turned around, Undertaker immediately noticed his brightly colored grandsons.</p><p>“Oh, there you are. Rather cheeky to eavesdrop.” Undertaker laughed,<br/>“How do you feel?”</p><p>“Better.” The twins simultaneously said</p><p>They then began to walk towards the couch to sit with their aunt when their veins turned black once more and they collapsed.</p><p>***</p><p>Undertaker could count on one hand all the people who had access to the blood that went in his grandsons' veins.</p><p>Himself, Blavat, Angelina, Sieglinde and Wolfram —not even Rian had access to Sirius and Canopus blood because of its rarity.</p><p>So, if the blood had not been tampered with, then it had gone rancid.</p><p>But that was also unlikely since they three gallons worth of blood he had brought to last the twins a month had not left the ice chest until he had pulled two pints worth out for their transfusion.</p><p>Which left one possibility left: the donor had been sick when they had collected and thus the twins’ bodies rejected it.</p><p>And that was horrible news since he had been transporting the blood in gallon bottles instead of the usual pint flasks to make it easier to carry around.</p><p>Ultimately, that meant the entire month’s worth of blood was tainted and could not be used...</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Wither</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Irene Diaz sighed as she entered the suite she shared with her beloved, Grimsby Keane.</p><p>Well, beloved was a bit of a stretch nowadays.</p><p>Back when they first got together, they had been deeply and love and she thought they were going to be together forever, but now she thought differently.</p><p>With every passing day, Irene was noticing Grimsby was acting stranger and stranger.</p><p>He was getting mad if she spoke with other men —even the ones in their theater troupe— and trying to get her to stop performing so much.</p><p>Irene did not understand how the younger man did not understand that acting and opera singing was her life, especially when he was actor as well.</p><p>With the controlling way he was behaving, Irene did not want to be in a relationship with him anymore.</p><p>But every time she summoned the strength to end their relationship, he always deflected the conversation and distracted her.</p><p>Leaving her thoughts, Irene looked around the suite she was in at Funtom Hotel.</p><p>She had arranged this little trip with Grimsby to force him to not get off topic when she broke up with him.</p><p>Deciding to go on a walk while she gathered her courage, Irene walked down the stairs of the hotel until she found a secluded corner.</p><p>Sitting on a chair, the actress mentally recited the words she would give Grimsby when she saw him.</p><p>"I'm sorry, but this is not working out." Irene thought</p><p>"What is not working?" A voice said asked from in front of her</p><p>Looking up, Irene's lavender eyes met the woman's ruby ones.</p><p>Irene took in the sight of the taller woman who was dressed in a gown made of the green and white fabric and the ruffles revealed by the cut of the dress was black.</p><p>“My apologies, madam, nothing is wrong, just thinking aloud.” The blonde apologized, a heavy blush on her face</p><p>The red haired woman sat beside her, “Something is troubling you, pardon my intrusion but I would like to provide comfort to you.”</p><p>“You are very kind.” Irene said, “My heart is torn. My lover and I have been getting along so much these past few years but recently he is getting...domineering. Just the other day we argued and he raised his fist as if to strike me but he stopped himself.”</p><p>“How horrible. What is your name, Madam?” The stranger asked</p><p>“Oh, please excuse my poor manners. I am Irene Diaz, I am an actress with the Lyceum Theater Company.” Irene introduced, “What is your name?”</p><p>“I am Lilith Ghast.” The red haired woman answered, looking at Irene’s wrist, “Oh, what a beautiful bracelet.”</p><p>“Thank you, I got it just a few days ago at Sphere Music Hall, the fortune teller there said I was under the protection of the divine star Polaris.”</p><p>“What a coincidence, I was told the same thing!” Lilith replied, showing her own bracelet</p><p>The two woman shared a small laugh and Irene felt better.</p><p>“The Music Hall was such a wonderful experience, Grimsby did not like it much.” Irene added, “He said he did not believe in such faux activities like fortunes and that no stars would guide his fate. That fortune teller just smiled and said that those rarities under Sirius’ protection always have ‘lofty ideals and the air of genius about them’.”</p><p>That seemed to pique Lilith’s interest, “Your lover is a Sirius?”</p><p>Irene nodded, “Yes, I have longed to go back to the music hall but he forbids me.”</p><p>“I see.” Lilith muttered</p><p>“Will you meet me back here tonight? I know I will be a mess after I break the news to Grimsby and you have been such a great help to me already.” Irene asked</p><p>“Of course, I have some matters to attend to first but I will comfort you this afternoon.” Lilith smiled, getting up and walking away</p><p>***</p><p>Angelina smiled as she walked away from Irene, fortune had favored her today.</p><p>She needed to find this Grimsby and take her to Undertaker to get his blood for her nephews.</p><p>And with him being abusive to Irene, he surely would not be missed.</p><p>After checking the guest book to find out Irene and Grimsby’s room number, Ann waited by the stairs of that floor for a man to approach that room.</p><p>Before Grimsby could enter the room, she grabbed him and covered his mouth with a rag soaked in chloroform </p><p>Once he was unconscious, she dragged him towards the wall st the end of the hall and turned the secret knob, taking him into the hidden staircase that led to the blood extraction room.</p><p>***</p><p>Undertaker was in the grande suite monitoring the twins, keeping them stable while Angelina found a blood donor.</p><p>He knew the chances of a Sirius blooded guest being in the hotel, but it was their only shot.</p><p>His heart sank when the woman entered the room, fearing she would tell him bad news.</p><p>“I got one.” She panted, clearly having run up the stairs —which was very impressive seeing that she was in heels</p><p>The reaper checked the oxygen tanks once more and rushed down the stairs with her, seeing the man laying on the ground by the extractor.</p><p>Hooking him up to the machine, Undertaker got twelve empty Sirius blood vials out form the shelf and got them ready by the machine.</p><p>He was going to drain the man dry to get the twins six weeks of blood each, which would be more than enough to last until they got back to London.</p><p>Around the time the four vial was filled and the white haired man attached the fifth, Grimsby woke up.</p><p>“What the bloody Hell is going on?!” The ginger demanded</p><p>Ann spoke first before Undertaker could, “The only thing of worth in your body is being taken from you, you abusive pig. Irene does not have the heart to break up with you so I have taken matters into my own hands.”</p><p>“Let me go!” He yelled, trying to remove the needles in his arms that were draining him of his blood</p><p>“I think not, your blood will find better use outside of you.” Undertaker laughed, taking off the fifth vial and putting in the sixth, “Half of your blood is already gone, you will fall unconscious any moment now.”</p><p>Grimsby did as if on cue...</p>
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<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Decay</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Once Grimsby's body was drained of its valuable Sirius blood, Undertaker got the gallons of tainted blood and had the machine pump it back into the corpse.</p><p>That way, no one would wonder why the body was bloodless.</p><p>Especially since they would be standing it so it looked like poor Mr. Keane had a tumble down the stairs and broke his neck.</p><p>What a terrible tragedy to befall a hotel on its first day open to the public.</p><p>***</p><p>While Ann staged the corpse and broke its neck, Undertaker took the twelve vials of blood and put it into an ice chest.</p><p>He kept two of said vials with him and went upstairs, putting them into the machine that would fill up the twins' veins.</p><p>Opening one of the bags in his luggage —a medical bag— he pulled out a tiny bottle of a health supplement to make up for the day they spent in bed and opened the cap.</p><p>Pressing the vial against Astre's lips, he trickled a bit into his sleeping mouth.</p><p>Once he was certain the boy had drunken it —by watching his small Adam's apple bob—, he then pressed the vial to Ciel's lips.</p><p>Ciel swallowed the tonic and groaned a bit, beginning to wake up, he rubbed his right hand against his eye and grabbed Undertaker's hand with the other, "Is it morning already?"</p><p>"No, not yet." Undertaker replied, placing his hand over his grandson's sapphire blue eyes, "Sleep a little while longer. It is still too early for you two to wake up."</p><p>He kept his hand over Ciel's eyes until he could hear the boy's gentle snores.</p><p>Pressing a kiss to Ciel's forehead, he did the same to Astre before walking out of the room to let them sleep.</p><p>***</p><p>If Undertaker had to list the top five worst days of his life, today would be number four.</p><p>The worst day of his life had been the day his beloved Claudia died, followed by the day his son and daughter-in-law died, followed by when he had found the twins’ cooling corpses in that patch of poppies.</p><p>Number five on that list would be the day he watched Claudia marry Cedric —his own suicide did not even make the top five list.</p><p>Whenever he closed his eyes, he could still recall every moment of his final evening with Claudia.</p><p>~Flashback~</p><p>It was the evening of July 13, 1866, and the thirty-six year old countess was laid in bed.</p><p>She was struck with cholera, but Claudia had remained strong and had been fighting the disease off for nearly four months.</p><p>Sitting in a nearby chair, Undertaker watched his beloved read a novel —"Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" by Mary Shelly.</p><p>"Adrian." Claudia softly called out</p><p>The reaper looked up, his green and yellow ringed eyes meeting her sapphire ones.</p><p>“Yes?” He asked</p><p>“Lay with me tonight.” She requested</p><p>That surprised him, she always had him leave to the guest quarters —even on the nights they were intimate she always sent him away after— before her lady’s maid could arrive and find them in the morning.</p><p>But, he did not question the request and happily agreed.</p><p>Adrian was not worried about catching cholera, reapers were already undead after all.</p><p>So, he undressed down to his button-up and slacks and got under the covers with her.</p><p>Claudia rolled over to face him, “When I get better, we should go on holiday together as a family.”</p><p>Undertaker smiled and nodded, “Of course, where should we go?”</p><p>“I want to see your village, see where you grew up.” She replied</p><p>“That place does not exist anymore, it burned to the ground centuries ago.” Undertaker denied</p><p>“Oh. Well you said the Brits loaned you out to the French for awhile, show the children and I around Paris.” Claudia asked</p><p>The white haired man gave a small chuckle, “Gladly, I will even show you where I reaped Marie Antoinette at the Place de la Concorde.”</p><p>She gave a weak laugh in reply, “She was only a year older than I am when she was executed.”</p><p>“And you will be much older than her soon.” He added, “Get some rest, we can plan our trip tomorrow.”</p><p>Claudia nodded, laying her head on his chest, “I want to plan it in the garden tomorrow, I cannot stand to be trapped in this room another day.”</p><p>Undertaker ran is long black-tipped nails through her navy blue hair, “Some fresh air will do you good. Sleep well.”</p><p>“And you too, my darling.” Claudia yawned, looking up and kissing him, “I love you, Adrian.”</p><p>“And I love you, Claudia.” He agreed</p><p>“Yo-You will always look after Vincent and Frances, right, keep them out of harm’s way?” Claudia asked out of seemingly nowhere</p><p>Adrian nodded, “Of course I will, nothing matters more to me than our family. But right now is time for sleep.”</p><p>And they did just that, falling asleep together in bed for the first time...and the last time.</p><p>In the morning, Undertaker woke up and began to leave, but before he did so he pressed a kiss to his beloved Claudia’s head.</p><p>His eyes widened as his lips pressed against ice cold flesh.</p><p>***</p><p>As the sun's first rays stubbornly made their way past the curtains, Astre Phantomhive yawned.</p><p>Sitting up in bed, he began to stretch.</p><p>Yesterday had been a very long day and he did not remember the majority of it and he was certain Ciel would agree to that.</p><p>Turning to face said twin, he found the older boy still asleep.</p><p>“Wake up, skylight.” Astre nudged</p><p>Ciel yawned, “Morning, starshine.”</p><p>“Do you remember anything of yesterday?” The younger twin asked</p><p>The older twin shook his head as he sat up, “Not really, just glimpses. I think we passed out a lot.”</p><p>Getting out of bed, they began to search for their grandfather for answers...</p>
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<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Funtom Resort Hotel</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Angelina Dalles hummed the tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down" as she walked through the streets of Brighton.</p><p>A wicked smile formed on her red-painted lips as she saw her favorite prey: prostitutes.</p><p>Forcing her expression to become neutral, the red-haired woman continued to walk ever closer.</p><p>The whore saw Ann as she approached asking, laughing a bit, "Whatsa pro'er lady like you doin' out this late? Lookin' fo' ye hus'and mayhaps?"</p><p>Ann frowned, her mind momentarily brought back to that horrible carriage accident, but she made herself placid again, "No, I was actually hoping to solicit your services."</p><p>The whore laughed again, "Alrigh', lady, but I'll be changing ye more since ye be a lady."</p><p>"You misunderstand me." Ann replied, forcing herself to blush, "My husband and I run a charity of sorts for underprivileged women, for a bit of honest work you would get a paycheck and lodging instead of catching diseases or worse out here on the streets; after all I am certain you have heard about those poor girls in Whitechapel?"</p><p>That seemed to get the other women's interest, "What kinda work would it be?"</p><p>"Have you heard of the new hotel that just opened? My husband and I own it, all of our female staff are former whores." Ann lied, leading her towards the hotel</p><p>"What's the pay?" The prostitute asked</p><p>"A quarter of a pound —or five shillings— a day, in addition to food and board."</p><p>The other women's eyes widened, she was lucky to make a pound a day just to turn around and spent it all on food and a place to sleep.</p><p>Most women only made twenty five pounds in a year, but at the rate this woman offered she could make around ninety pounds a year —assuming she worked every single day.</p><p>So, she followed the rich woman to the servant entrance of the hotel.</p><p>Much to her surprise, she was lead through a hidden door down to a basement.</p><p>Her eyes widened when she saw several women —almost all of them whores she had seen wandering the streets before— laying in beds connected to machines.</p><p>Each sleeping woman had what looked like blood being taken from them.</p><p>Suddenly yelping in pain, the whore saw the strange woman had pricked her finger and squeezed a few drops of blood into a cup.</p><p>"Vega, boring blood for a boring girl." Ann insulted</p><p>"What the 'ell is goin' on?" The white asked, terrified</p><p>She did not get an answer as she was rendered unconscious and dragged to an empty bed.</p><p>She was stripped, an oxygen mask was placed on her head to insure she did not stop breathing and she was hooked up to a transfusion machine.</p><p>Ann put in an empty Vega vial to begin collecting blood from her.</p><p>In the morning, the head maid —a Servant of the Stars hand chosen by Blavat for their loyalty— would come give all the sleeping women sedatives, nourishment and change out their vials for new ones.</p><p>It seems this hotel would be an absolute success, perhaps it was now time to make other blood collection facilities.</p><p>***</p><p>Ciel Phantomhive, the would-be Earl, smiled as he walked through the hotel.</p><p>Astre was busy doing paperwork for his company, Undertaker was down in the basement and Aunt Ann was in town shopping, which meant he was bored.</p><p>And it was never a good thing for anyone to let the sadistic teen be bored.</p><p>So, he made his way into the hidden blood extraction room.</p><p>Walking through the room, he read the label by each women's bed.</p><p>"Polaris, Polaris," The blunette read aloud, passing a bed with each word, "Polaris, Canopus, Polaris, Sirius, Vega."</p><p>Stopping in front of the bed of the women with Vega blood, Ciel smirked evilly.</p><p>To him, Vega was the most boring blood one could have, with forty-four percent of people having it that made being a Vega common.</p><p>And Ciel, being a purebred noble firstborn son with the rarest of all blood types, he hated common things.</p><p>So, this boring Vega girl, would not be missed and be easily replaced.</p><p>Which meant he could play doctor.</p><p>***</p><p>Washing off his bloody hands, Ciel went back up the stairs to Astre’s office.</p><p>“Are you done yet, starshine?” Ciel impatiently asked</p><p>“Just about, skylight.” The younger twin replied, not looking up</p><p>The older blunette pouted and sunk down onto the seat beside his brother, he wished his brother was not always so busy in the mornings.</p><p>Sensing his twin’s bad mood, Astre cuddled closer to Ciel to calm him down.</p><p>It worked immediately, nothing could soothe Ciel more than having Astre close.</p><p>They stayed like that for about five more minutes as Astre read the last bit of paperwork and signed the name ‘Dominick Ghast’ when he liked what he read.</p><p>Soon, the younger blunette happiky exclaimed, “All done. What do you want to do now, big brother.”</p><p>Astre knew his brother liked to feel dominant to him, so using nicknames like that always put Ciel in a better mood.</p><p>And just like the cuddling, that worked very well.</p><p>Ciel took his hand and led him down to the garden, “I am tired of being inside, lets be outside.”</p><p>The slightly shorter blunette just let it happen, his brain tired from the massive amount of paperwork he just finished.</p><p>***</p><p>After a week more at the hotel, everything to make the blood collection operation and its resort front fully operational was done.</p><p>And so, the Ghast Family departed to go back to London.</p><p>Sphere Music Hall lost a piece of its metaphorical soul every time the Lords Sirius departed from it, it was time to put it back together...</p>
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<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Worship</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>Blavat Sky hummed a joyous tune as he stepped out of the carriage.</p><p>It had been a long eight hour carriage ride from London, but it was a necessary trip for him to make.</p><p>With Funtom Resort Hotel being an absolute success so far, they would be opening another location.</p><p>And, for possible locations, Blavat had suggested Wiltshire.</p><p>Though, his reason behind this particular town were slightly selfish and not completely for the Star's benefit —but after years of utter devotion he was sure he would be forgiven this one small sin.</p><p>He had been born and raised in Wiltshire, his family still lived here and his father was a pastor in the local church.</p><p>Blavat still remembered the last conversation —or more accurately, the yelling match— he had with his father.</p><p>His father, Gerald, had accused him of witchcraft and letting the devil into his heart when he had told him he wanted to be a fortune teller instead of a clergyman or farmer.</p><p>Even though it had been a decade since he had last been home, Blavat still knew the way like he knew the back of his tattooed hand.</p><p>Easily finding the modest church, he walked to the nearby home and knocked on the front door.</p><p>It took a few moments but the wooden door opened to reveal his mother, Louisa.</p><p>She had aged greatly since he had last seen her: her lavender hair was littered with grey and white streaks and her once smooth skin was wrinkled from age and hard work.</p><p>"Bl-Blavat? Is it you?" His mother asked</p><p>The fortune teller nodded, "It is, mother."</p><p>She smiled, beginning to lead him inside, "Your father will be overjoyed to know you have finally gotten over that fortune teller heathenry; we have been praying for you to come to your senses and return to the Lord."</p><p>Blavat stopped, "I have not stopped, mother, though I have found God in my work —but not the gods you expect."</p><p>Louisa turned to look at him, clearly confused, "W-What? Then why have you come home?"</p><p>"Have you ventured to London in the past few years?" The lavender haired man asked</p><p>She shook her head, not knowing where he was going with this.</p><p>"I thought not; father always called London a cesspool of sin, finding the devil in every detail." Blavat muttered, "I have been living there since I left, and it was there I met several gods hidden in mortal disguise."</p><p>Disgusted with her only child, Louisa held onto the cross around her neck, "You worship false idols?"</p><p>"I worship the stars, mother, I merely found their mortal representatives." Blavat clarified, then asking, "Where is father?"</p><p>"I-In the church." She stuttered, clearly scared</p><p>Blavat nodded and pulled up his black robe sleeves, the blue and gold trim disappearing into the black fabric, "Good."</p><p>Her blue eyes widened and she tried to scream, but his his hands wrapped around her throat and he snapped her neck.</p><p>With the matricide committed, he walked towards the church and found his father in the upstairs office.</p><p>"Hello, father." Blavat greeted, the other man's back facing him</p><p>"Blavat?" Gerald asked, surprised to see his son after so long</p><p>The older man stood up and faced his son, “You are covered in sin.”</p><p>Blavat rolled his blue eyes, everything was sinful to his father.</p><p>The constellation robes he wore over his suit, the star and sun beads in his long and partially braided hair, the various tattoos littered on his arms and hands, all of it was sinful to the priest.</p><p>Blavat walked closer to his father with a smirk, “And you have gotten old and senile. Though you will be pleased to know I have found god.”</p><p>Gerald scoffed, “You proclaim blasphemy. You have not been my son since you walked out of the house of God a decade ago.”</p><p>“Fine, be that way.” Blavat shrugged, then kicking the old man’s legs</p><p>The priest fell to the ground with a loud groan of pain.</p><p>The lavender haired man pulled out the chair his father had just been sitting on and forced said man onto the chair.</p><p>"The radiance of the Blue Star was so extreme it could not be contained by one vessel. It had to split itself in two and keep itself in two identical vessels." Blavat informed, tying the rope around his father, keeping him bound to the chair, "Even with its split strength, the radiance is draining to them and thus, they require regular nourishment in the form of blood."</p><p>Gerald began to thrash, trying to scream through the gag on his mouth.</p><p>"Your blood is useless to them, you and mother cursed me with your lowly Vega blood. While Vega is indeed one of the four divine stars, it is the weakest of the lot, just barely beaten by Polaris. It doesn't even compare to the brilliance of Canopus and especially not Sirius." Blavat mockingly soothed, reaching into his pocket, “Do not worry, I will take very good care of the church you love so much, it will make a great home to one of the glorious Star Lords and be a center to collect the blood they need to thrive.”</p><p>Pulling out a matchbox, he pulled out one of said matches and lighting it.</p><p>The fortune teller laughed a bit, "Do you remember the last thing you said to me? You said that I will 'burn in Hell for heathenism'. You are half right, I will burn, I will burn among the lights of the stars."</p><p>Throwing the match on his father's lap, he watched as his priestly robes caught flame and he burned alive.</p><p>Blavat left as the flames began to spread, swallowing the office.</p><p>He briefly went back to his home and dragged his mother's corpse into the church and left her at the bottom of the stairs, it would look like she had fallen and died trying to escape the flames.</p><p>The church burned down, only the stone exterior collapsing in on itself.</p><p>A week later, the Aurora Society bought the land and torn the church down, beginning construction of a sanatorium...</p>
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<a name="section0024"><h2>24. The Campania</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Narrator's POV</p><p>A few months passed and soon it was April 17, 1889.</p><p>Undertaker, the twins along with Sieglinde would be boarding a ship to head to New York.</p><p>Blavat would be staying behind with Layla and Angelina and Kelvin to keep watch over all the operations going on in England.</p><p>The Aurora Society had discreetly bought a rather small cruise line and rebranded it Blue Star Lines and the only ship it had to its name was the Campania.</p><p>They would be heading to America to gain further finically support from the wealthy, sell the soon-to-be-created Bizarre Dolls as soldiers and gain the Watchdog's —aka the Midfords— attention.</p><p>***</p><p>Both of the twins frowned as Undertaker put blond wigs over their heads to hide their unique navy blue hair, already itching in the peasant disguises they wore, envying that Sieglinde did not have to wear a wig.</p><p>The reaper would be smuggling the three undead teens into the ship via the staff entrance and taking them to first class from there.</p><p>It did not take long to arrive to rooms A-66 and A-67 on the first class deck.</p><p>Upon their arrival at their own room, the two boys changed into black suits that had light blue and navy blue striped detailing with matching shorts and ribbon around their necks.</p><p>Though, they were still stuck in the wigs in case they were recognized.</p><p>But, at least now they could wander about the ship as they pleased while Undertaker was busy behind-the-scenes of their plan.</p><p>Leaving their room, they found Sieglinde waiting for them wearing a dress version of their outfit.</p><p>When they reached the first class lounge, they were surprised to see so many people.</p><p>But, the two blunettes recognized a group of blondes right away as their extended family.</p><p>Going to the opposite side of the lounge to minimize their chances of being seen by the Midfords.</p><p>The three Star Lords sat at a table together talking, each enjoying a slice of the complimentary cake —Ciel had strawberry, Astre had chocolate and Sieglinde had vanilla.</p><p>The rest of the nobility there ignored them for the most part, not caring what children did as long as they were silent.</p><p>Conversation around the lounge was mostly trivial pleasantry as the wealthy saw each other for the first time in 'ages' and talked about how grand it would be arriving in New York about in a month's time.</p><p>***</p><p>The next day, Sieglinde Sullivan, former Liege Lord and current Star Lord, walked through the first class lounge, looking for the twins as they were not in their room.</p><p>Spotting a short boy with blonde hair, she tapped on the shoulder it belonged to, not noticing the person was wearing a purple suit jacket neither of the twins had ever wore before.</p><p>But who turned around was not one of the twins, but someone else entirely.</p><p>"May I help you, miss?" The teenage boy asked, twirling the gold and ruby inheritance ring on his finger</p><p>Sieglinde gave a curtsy, "Forgive me, I was mistaken over who you were —I thought you to be another–, pardon my intrusion."</p><p>The German girl looked up and saw a blonde girl that was accompanying the blond male.</p><p>She had bright emerald green eyes almost identical to Sieglinde's own, her blonde hair was tied into curly pigtails with a slight bang covering her right ear.</p><p>She wore a pale blue sailor dress with a matching hat and she radiated kindness and strength.</p><p>The two green eyes girls made eye contact for what felt like an eternity but was really just a few seconds.</p><p>"I'm Elizabeth Midford." The taller girl introduced, a blush on her pale cheeks, "And this is my betrothed, Earl Alois Trancy."</p><p>Sieglinde could not remember the false name Undertaker had given her to use on the ship, her mouth was dry and her brain short circuited at the other girl's beautiful voice, "I am...Sieglinde, Sieglinde Sullivan."</p><p>Elizabeth walked towards her, walking past her fiancé, she took the shorter girl's hands within her own, "I think the two of us will be the best of friends."</p><p>They left Alois behind and began to talk together, walking throughout first class.</p><p>Elizabeth —or rather Lizzy, as she preferred to be called— and Sieglinde got along like two peas in a pod.</p><p>They had very little in common in regards to hobbies, but they both enjoyed the same literature and plays and had similar tastes in fashion.</p><p>Their interactions were almost electric, even though they had known each other for less than a day they were able to finish each other’s sentences.</p><p>***</p><p>Ciel Phantomhive was nervous as he relaxed in bed with his twin.</p><p>He wanted to confess something to Astre but was scared of getting a negative reaction and loosing their perfect sibling relationship.</p><p>“What is wrong, skylight, you seem so upset?” Astre asked, noticing his brother’s strife</p><p>The older twin took a deep breath, “Do you love me, starshine?”</p><p>“Of course I do.” The younger replied, shocked to even have to say that, “You are my big brother, I love you so much!”</p><p>The slightly taller boy stuttered, “I know you love me like that, b-but do you love me like...how mother and father loved each other...romantically?”</p><p>A blush rose to Astre’s cheeks, the boy not saying anything.</p><p>Ciel was terrified by that, his usual demeanor metaphorically tossed out the window as he feared his brother’s rejection.</p><p>He was even to the point of tearing up and about to run out of the room when Astre spoke.</p><p>The younger twin cupped his identical twin’s left cheek in his left hand, wiping away a spilled tear with his thumb.</p><p>Astre then brought their lips together, kissing him.</p><p>Ciel eagerly kissed back, beginning to dominate the kiss.</p><p>With the fear of rejection gone, he was slowly begin to return to normal.</p><p>Once they broke their kiss to get air, Ciel tried to resume the kiss.</p><p>But, Astre blocked his lips with his fingers, “Uh, uh, skylight, if we are going to be together in a romantic way in addition to a familial one, we are going to need some rules.”...</p>
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